THE Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria (MMWG) has called on media executives in Nigeria to urgently review their policies and free religious programmes from heavy commercial charges.
The national coordinator of the MMWG, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, made the call at the second national conference and awards of the association held last weekend in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Alhaji Abdullahi maintained that religion is not a commercial venture and as such, applying extreme business principles to its treatment by media organisations cannot be appropriate.
He also called on the federal and state governments to remove media houses from revenue-yielding parastatals and fund them properly to carry out their responsibilities without hindrance.
He said: “Most electronic media organisations are suffering in silence due to neglect. Their burdens are passed to the generality of people who have anything to do with them through exorbitant charges for advertisements and the commercialisation of news items.
“The idea of giving public media organisations targets, which made them commercialise religious programmes against the provisions of the NBC is not in the interest of the nation.
“Religion is not a commercial venture and must not be commercialised. Media executives should therefore take a look at their programme schedules and ensure that justice, fairness, and equity prevail in the interest of peace and stability.”
The guest speaker, the Vice Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University, Patigi, Professor Mahfouz Adedimeji, who spoke on ‘Redefining the Media Space for Nigeria’s Socio-economic Prosperity’, said the media must be redefined and a policy developed to regulate social media.
He charged professional journalists to wake up and get involved in social media content to provide an alternative to the unprofessional information that has dominated the social media space.
“In redefining the media, public interest should be placed above any other interest. There is the need for more accountability in the practice of journalism,” he added.
Personalities who received awards include the Chairman of Bi-Courtney, Dr AbduRauf Wale Babalakin (SAN); founder of Al-Hikma University, Dr AbduRaheem Oladimeji; and Chairman, Camwire Holdings, Dr Kamoru Yusuf.
Other awardees are the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the MMWG, Malam Yusuf Ali (SAN); Alhaja Raliat Sanni and Halimat Yussuf.
Dignitaries who attended the opening ceremony of the conference included the governor of Kwara State, Malam AbduRahman AbduRasaq, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Religion, Zubair Dan Maigoro, and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, who was represented by the Balogun Alanamu, Dr Uthman Abubakar.
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