The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has announced plans to establish an independent tribunal to determine broadcast violation cases as it challenges restrictions on its authority to impose financial sanctions on erring stations.
NBC Director-General, Dr Charles Ebuebu, disclosed this in Abuja on Sunday, July 19, 2026, saying the proposed tribunal would comprise retired judges and other independent officials to ensure fairness and transparency in handling regulatory breaches.
Ebuebu said the courts did not remove the NBC’s power to sanction broadcasters but ruled that the commission could not determine and punish cases involving financial penalties without an independent adjudicatory process.
“The court didn’t say NBC cannot sanction. It only said you cannot be a judge and jury in your own case,” he said.
The NBC chief executive said the commission disagreed with the interpretation that administrative fines should be treated as criminal penalties, adding that the distinction informed its decision to appeal the judgment.
“There is a difference between a criminal fine and an administrative fine,” he said.
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He explained that the planned tribunal would function separately from the NBC, allowing alleged broadcast violations to be independently reviewed before sanctions are imposed.
Ebuebu warned that removing sanctioning mechanisms from broadcast regulation could weaken compliance, noting that some operators often disregard warnings until penalties are introduced.
The dispute over the NBC’s financial sanctioning powers followed a May 2023 judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which held that the commission lacked the authority to unilaterally impose monetary penalties on broadcast stations without an independent process for adjudication.
The court ruled that such action breached fair hearing principles and nullified fines earlier imposed on affected broadcasters.
The NBC appealed the judgment in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda. However, on April 2, 2026, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed the commission’s appeal and upheld the Federal High Court’s decision.
The appellate court affirmed that the NBC could not independently impose financial sanctions on broadcasters under the existing legal framework.
Ebuebu said the commission would proceed with its legal challenge while developing a new enforcement structure aimed at balancing effective broadcast regulation with due process.