Segun Showunmi urges stricter regulations for broadcast media

Former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar during the 2019 presidential campaign, Segun Showunmi, has called for a renewed commitment to professionalism and ethical standards in Nigerian broadcast media.

In a post shared on X  on Tuesday night, Showunmi wrote under the headline “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: WHEN BROADCASTERS BECOME THE STORY”, condemning what he described as the growing lack of professionalism among television hosts.

“When television anchors abandon professionalism for provocation, it becomes the duty of the station’s management to call them to order. But when that failure becomes routine, the National Broadcasting Commission must step in,” Showunmi said.

The politician urged the Ministry of Information and the NBC to act, warning that freedom of expression should not be mistaken for freedom to abuse.

The supervising Ministry of Information must not remain a bystander while citizens invited in good faith are subjected to insult, rudeness, partisan aggression, and empty intellectual showmanship,” he added.

“Let it be clear: freedom of expression is not freedom to abuse. Regulation is not repression; it is the defence of sanity and national interest. The time has come to draw the line.”

He argued that while certain excesses might be tolerated from online commentators, they were unacceptable from licensed national broadcasters.

“What can be excused from a citizen’s podcast we cannot and must not tolerate from a licensed national broadcaster,” he wrote.

“The madness must stop. #ARISEtv and its anchor, #ruffydfire (Rufai Oseni), have crossed too many lines,” Showunmi said.

“They cannot continue to constitute themselves into self-appointed prosecutors, judges, and enemies of the state under the guise of journalism. There is a difference between questioning power and attacking the very idea of order,” he said.

However, human rights activist Mahdi Shehu fired back at Showunmi, accusing him of hypocrisy and defending censorship.

“When they appoint you the DG of NBC, you can shut down Arise if you like. Or even now you can approach Tinubu to shut down Arise, Premium Times, Sahara Reporters, etc., so that evil will triumph over falsehood for a short while,” Shehu wrote in response.

“When sellouts sell all they have and the proceeds are shrinking, they will seek to look for another opportunity to restock and replenish. Such is the sad commentary of the recanting Segun. Good riddance to a stupid, stinking rubbish.”

The call comes amid a live interview on Tuesday between Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, and Rufai Oseni, focused on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project. During the discussion, questions about the project’s cost and funding led to a back-and-forth exchange.