Broadcast stations’ owner disowns UBAN’s threats on Wike’s media engagements
BY STEPHEN GBADAMOSI
Some owners of television and radio stations have dissociated themselves from the statement by the Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria (IBAN), threatening boycott of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike’s media engagements, should he fail to retract his comment on Channels Television’s Seun Okinbaloye’s programme and issue a public apology.
One of them, chairman and owner of Hausa-speaking television station, JKD (DSTV Channel 391) and Hamada Radio Networks, Ambassador Yusufu Mamman, said the IBAN statement should be ignored.
Ambassador Mamman described the IBAN Chairman, Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, who authored the statement, as an impostor, who had no right to speak for owners of broadcast stations.
He said as a major player in the broadcast industry, with a television station and four radio stations, he did not operate under any IBAN and won’t join anyone to flog an issue that the minister had already clarified.
Ambassador Mamman said: “My attention has been drawn to an organisation called IBAN led by one ‘Dr.’ Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, speaking for independent broadcasters and threatening to boycott media briefing by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, unless he makes public apology in respect of his recent banters with Channels Television anchor, Seun Okinbaloye.
“The position of the so-called IBAN is, at best, an opinion of Mr. Ramalan, who is never a broadcaster and had no idea of laws, norms, etiquette or professional broadcasting codes.
“Most importantly, Mr. Ramalan has constituted himself into a fighting vehicle in courts against many broadcasting organisations and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
“Therefore, I urge the minister to ignore his ranting.
“This is more so that on the live television programme, the minister took time to clarify what he meant and his spokesperson also issued a statement saying categorically that the minister’s comment was figurative and didn’t mean any harm.”
