Daniel Agbolade

Zonal Director, National Broadcasting Commission, (NBC), Miss Olajumoke Coker, has expressed readiness of the Commission to sanction sport presenters who violates any of its codes through unprofessional style of presentation.

She gave the warning while presenting a paper titled, "Hyping, Praise singing, Sport Right and Acquisition", at a seminar organized by the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Oyo State Chapter, held at Indoor Sports Hall, Lekan Salami Stadium Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan.

She said hyping of sport enthusiasts or sponsors is one big issue the Commission has been dealing with, adding that a lot of sport presenters in the state are guilty of this, especially Yoruba sport presenters.

While emphasizing that hype is when a presenter promotes products or services of Commercial value in the course of presentation, she maintained that this is a violation of section 7.0.15 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

Coker stated further that NBC is not against giving end credits to sponsors but it should be done at the end of the programme, in moderation, without giving details or promoting their products or services, noting that when a presenter starts listing 20 names during presentation, it makes the programme lack straight dealing.

She said, "Most stations have received letters of warning and even letters of fine from the Commission for unprofessional style of presentation. The Commission had course to even go as far as suspending some of your members from the air waves. It may shock you to know that National Broadcasting Commission monitors round the clock and any Sport presenter who violates any provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting code will be sanctioned accordingly.

"Praise singing of sponsors: Section 3.1.3 of the Nigeria Broadcasting code, clearly states that “The broadcasters shall recognize expression as an agent of the society, therefore, he shall not use his medium for any personal or sectional rights, privileges and needs of his own, proprietor, relatives, friends or supporters."

While tasking sports presenters to go back and be better and more professional in their presentation, the NBC Zonal Director warned that the Commission never sleeps as it is always monitoring for compliance round the clock.

Oyo State SWAN Chairman, Mr. Niyi Alebiosu, in his address, said the seminar was put together by the association to improve members’ professional acumen in their reporting.

He assured that SWAN members in the state were ready to make use of whatever they learn from the seminar as they also scale up the rope of the profession so that they can continue to give their best to the society and the incoming generations.