The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has sanctioned four major television stations in the country over hate speech.

The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), African Independent Television (AIT), Channels TV and Television Continental (TVC) were sanctioned for allowing hate speeches by politicians from both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to be aired on their networks, the Director General of NBC, Malam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu said during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

Malam Modibbo Kawu, who didn’t mention what sanctions against the media houses were, said the letters to the affected organisations notifying them about the sanction were awaiting delivery in his office.

He said the four stations failed to shut out chieftains of both parties who willfully engaged in hate speeches during their political campaigns.

He said: ‘’Broadcasters have huge responsibility of protecting and guiding our democracy; and we have a very huge responsibility of ensuring that we don’t promote violence or anything that can lead to it.

“We have discovered that despite our repeated warnings some broadcast stations still allow politicians to let out hate speeches which are capable of throwing this country into crisis.

“We have prepared sanctions and the letters to this effect will be delivered to them soonest. These broadcast stations include NTA, AIT, Channels, TVC and some other radio stations.’’

He advised media houses against allowing themselves to be used by politicians, warning that this would affect their credibility.

On digital switchover, he said the process was still on course and had not been stalled as claimed by some people.

He said a new timeline of next 15 months as a completion period had been set.

Within the period, he said, the NBC would take the digital switch-over to about 60 million Nigerians across the country.

•Sourced from a Daily Trust report

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