By Ammar M. Rajab The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum (ABMPF) has issued a stern warning to Niger State Governor Moha...
By Ammar M. Rajab
The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum (ABMPF) has issued a stern warning to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, threatening to boycott all official state government activities if press freedom continues to be undermined in the state.
In a statement dated August 3, 2025, and signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Yelwa (Ajiyan Yauri), the Forum condemned the governor’s directive to shut down Badeggi FM in Minna and revoke its license—a move widely criticized as illegal and repressive.
“I spoke this morning with Mohammed Shuaibu Badeggi, the Chief Executive Officer of the station, who confirmed to me that the station is fully operational in spite of the Governor’s illegal orders,” Yelwa said. “However, he [the governor] deployed state machinery to harass the station and hinder its constitutionally guaranteed duties.”
The Forum praised the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for rejecting what it called the governor’s “illegal orders,” applauding the Commission’s professionalism in maintaining the rule of law. The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris Malagi, was also commended for publicly reaffirming that only the NBC has authority to regulate broadcasting licenses.
ABMPF warned that unless Governor Bago reins in what it described as his “foot soldiers,” Forum members in Niger State would be forced to begin a full boycott of all government engagements.
“In this period of insecurity and multi-dimensional poverty, those in authority should learn to be more tolerant of alternative views,” the statement read. “Time has come for our leaders to develop new attitudes in their engagement with the press.”
The Forum also criticized what it termed the “Lagos-Ibadan bias” of the Nigerian media landscape, noting that Northern governors often spend billions on Southwest media while neglecting indigenous northern outlets.
“Those that persevered, like Badeggi FM, are daily being threatened with closure,” Yelwa stated.
In a rallying call to its members, ABMPF urged all stations facing harassment and intimidation to report such incidents to its Secretariat for coordinated action.
“The media is not the enemy, but only the mirror for society to see itself,” Yelwa concluded.
The standoff marks a deepening rift between Niger State authorities and media practitioners, raising broader concerns over press freedom and executive overreach in Nigeria’s democracy.
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