Don’t vilify NCA for doing its job – Sulemana Braimah

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, believes there is no turning back for the National Communications Authority (NCA), as far as its hefty sanctions for some 131 radio stations are concerned.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, he maintained the NCA would set a bad precedent, if it eases the pressure on the stations it has sanctioned.

131 stations fell foul of Section 13 of the Electronics Communications Act (2009), and 34 of the sanctioned stations had their licenses revoked because their authorizations had expired, whilst the others picked up over GHc1 billion in fines.

Accra-based Okay FM and Kumasi-based Hello FM, both under the Despite group, were recently shut down by the NCA after their licenses were revoked.

The NCA’s crackdown would not have been viewed as extreme and out of the ordinary, if Ghana had a culture of enforcing laws to the letter, the MFWA Head suggested.

“The controversies that we are witnessing is all because the management and previous board of the NCA failed to do their work as they ought to have done at the time, and the current management and board are only acting in accordance with the law, and I think that it is something that we need to let them do.”

Despite the expected job losses that critics have complained about, Mr. Braimah said: “we cannot live in a country with airwaves which are not regulated… I don’t see how you can fault the NCA for seeking to just enforce the law and making sure that our airwaves are regulated properly.”

Beyond this, letting the sanctioned stations of the hook would send the wrong message to the remaining majority of stations complying with NCA regulations, he added.

“We have close to 500 radio stations that are on air, which means that a majority of those who are operating are complying with the law, so why must we then allow those who are not complying with the law to continue to operate,” he argued.

NCA can be given NPA leeway

There is an added layer of hypocrisy beneath all this, with Mr. Braimah pointing out that, the country is solidly behind the reforms and harsh steps put in place to sanitize the distribution of fuel in Ghana in light of recent disasters.

The National Petroleum Authority is working to roll out a cylinder re-circulation model, which some fear will leave many Liquefied Petroleum Gas stations out of business.

Nonetheless, the public is largely behind these reforms, so Mr. Braimah questioned, “why are we in this instance saying another institution shouldn’t enforce the laws and the work that it is paid to do, and the work that Parliament has mandated it to do.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifonline.com/Ghana

 

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, believes there is no turning back for the National Communications Authority (NCA), as far as its hefty sanctions for some 131 radio stations are concerned. Speaking on Eyewitness News, he maintained the NCA would set a bad precedent, if it eases the pressure ... Read Full Story