SECTOR 3 3.3 The body regulating broadcasting services and licensing, does so in the public interest and ensures fairness and a diversity of views broadly representing society at large. The NBC is accountable to the president, through the Minister of information. Panellists felt that the NBC has not demonstrated fairness in its actions, particularly in the awarding of licences. For example, they claimed that political applications were granted speedily whereas other applications have been waiting for decades. They also mentioned that the criteria for delivering licences is not clear to the public, stating that unfair allocation has resulted in cross-ownership and licences in the hands of a few. In the view of the panellists, NBC’s understanding of public interest seems to be that of maintaining order. It has, in the past, banned songs on the airwaves. The NBC has systematically shut down attempts by groups considered to have extreme political views from setting up radio stations. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: Score of previous years: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓✓ ✓ 2.5 2008: 1.8; 2011: 1.3; 2015: 2 3.4 The state/public broadcaster is accountable to the public through an independent board which is representative of society at large and selected in an independent, open and transparent manner Nigeria has three government-funded broadcasters, namely the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON). The NTA went operational in 1977 and is considered the largest television network in Nigeria with more than 100 stations around the country. The much older FRCN is also government-funded with an equally impressive network of state and zonal FM and SW spectrum band-based stations. The VON, an offshoot of the FRCN, is a more externally focused radio service, with a goal to disseminate ‘authoritative information about the African situation’ to the rest of the world. 39 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2019