By Usman Usman Garba
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has called on the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to extend its regulatory powers to cover online radio and television platforms to check the growing spread of unverified and inflammatory content across digital media.
This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mustapha Muhammad, released on Tuesday.
Yusuf made the call at the Africast 2025 Conference organized by the NBC in Lagos, where media professionals and policymakers gathered to discuss emerging trends in broadcasting.
Represented by his Director-General, Media and Publicity, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the governor lamented that many online broadcasters were taking advantage of the absence of oversight to promote hate speech, misinformation, and divisive narratives.
“The unregulated online broadcasting environment has become a breeding ground for misinformation and hate speech, especially on sensitive issues such as religion and politics,” Yusuf said.
“It is time for the NBC to take proactive measures to ensure accountability and ethical standards in the digital media space.”
The governor urged the NBC to develop new frameworks to monitor online broadcasters, stressing that responsible communication was essential in a democracy as fragile as Nigeria’s.
Reacting to Yusuf’s remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information commended the call, revealing that the National Assembly had begun work on amending the NBC Act to empower the Commission with full legal authority to regulate webcasts and online broadcast media.
According to him, the amendment, which has already passed first reading in the Senate, will ensure that online broadcasters are held to the same professional and ethical standards as conventional media operators.
Governor Yusuf’s intervention comes amid growing concern over the misuse of social media platforms by unregistered online broadcasters, particularly in northern Nigeria, where some commentators have been accused of using religion and politics to stoke tension.
The governor, who was recently recognized as the 2025 Most Media-Friendly Governor of the Year by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said his administration remains committed to promoting responsible journalism, digital literacy, and the protection of public interest.