The National Media Commission (NMC) has issued a final warning to Onua Radio/TV and Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart over an inciteful broadcast.
According to the Commission, the Onua station carried a broadcast in which Captain Smart directly insulted the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and other Commanders of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) as “beasts”.
Contained in a statement dated November 14, 2023, the NMC noted that Captain Smart claimed the officers embezzle monies meant for soldiers on peacekeeping operations but offered no evidence to back his claims.
This, the Commission noted, was as “dangerous as it was unprofessional”.
“You may recall that on December 8, 2022, we drew your attention to the use of your station to promote violence against the state and your management’s lack of capacity to address same. This was after we had written to your management on December 2, 2022.
“It is of concern to us that the behavior persists after we drew the board’s attention. We are now compelled to come to the board again as a way of giving the company a last opportunity for internal gatekeeping.”
National Media Commission
Onua station tasked to be professional
To avert the recurrence of such conduct from Captain Smart, the Commission requested the board at the station to institute measures to stop the “dangerous behavior of the station and improve the station’s capacity for regulatory compliance”.
Additionally, the NMC called on the station to withdraw the insults and apologize to the CDS and his commanders.
“We further ask the station to apologize to the Ghanaian public for the use of vulgar language. We expect you to undertake the above and present evidence of same to us before November 19, 2023, after which date you may hear further from the Commission.”
National Media Commission
Prior to this, the Wiawso Traditional Council demanded an unqualified apology from Captain Smart of Onua Tv/FM for describing the region as “the most useless” region in Ghana.
The Council performed a ritual to invoke the gods and ancestors of the region to deal with the broadcaster if he fails to render the apology.
In accordance with tradition, the Wiawso Traditional Council performed the ritual by slaughtering a ram and with the pouring of libation.
Speaking to the media, Nana Elluo Panin lll, Nsuonsuahene who doubles as the Kyidomhene of Wiawso Traditional Area described the statement made by Captain Smart as unfortunate and a disrespect to the entire people of the Western North Region.
He revealed that the Western North Region from time immemorial has been the food basket of the country, the highest cocoa producers, with lots of natural resources such as gold, bauxite, timber as well as human resources.
As a result, he noted that such a region cannot be called useless, hence their demand for an apology from Captain Smart and Media General as a whole.
Moreover, Nana Elluo Panin lll, stated that the chiefs and elders of Western North Region are committed to seeing the region develop and are always doing their best to attract investors. Owing to this, he explained that it was wrong for the broadcaster to denigrate their efforts with such an unpalatable description.
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