Nigerian Broadcasting Commission has warned broadcast media outfits to desist from airing political broadcast programmes with inciteful content, as the twenty-nineteen general election campaign heightens.

Its Director-General, Modibbo Kawu, who gave the warning at a media briefing in Abuja, said the Commission carried out a study and observed that many broadcast stations violate the Commission’s code, especially as regards political broadcast.

Kawu said since the commencement of the general elections campaign in November last year, broadcast stations had aired programmes with derogatory comments sponsored by the two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress.

He however warned that any broadcast media house that allowed it’s station to be used for programmes that violated the code on reportage, would be held responsible.

Kawu urged broadcasters to be responsive by reporting political broadcast in respectable language and insist that political parties abide by the provisions of the Broadcasting Code to broadcast their messages.

“With the commencement of electioneering campaign for the 2019 general elections on Sept. 18, 2019, based on INEC guidelines, the national stations have become agog with sponsored libel by political parties, particularly the two main parties; PDP and APC.

“We have observed again through monitoring of stations that, politicians have refused to learn from mistakes of the past in spite of efforts by NBC to sensitise them and remind them of their responsibilities.

“We monitor libel in campaign of parties and in recent times, live political campaigns of the two parties have been characterised with indecent and abusive languages, name calling, allegations and use of hate speech.’’

Kawu said that live coverage of political activities should be truthful, decent, fair and balanced, stressing that, “we are not getting that.`

‘‘We told our licencees that it is very good to make a lot of money during this period.

“But you will be liable if you allow your medium to be used to broadcast materials that are contrary to the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

Kawu, who disclosed that sanction letters had been written to broadcasting stations found to have violated the provision of the Code Political broadcast, called on them to be professional, especially on days of elections.

The NBC boss said all political jingles must stop, 24 hours before elections and cautioned stations against announcing results of elections before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The director-general said that the commission would distribute 5,000 Set Top Boxes to Military formations, Police Stations, Hospitals, NSCDC, 36 state Houses of Assembly and traditional rulers across the country.

According to him, NBC is targeting 16 million households for the digital switch over programme across the country in the next 15 months.