Abuja — The National Broadcasting Commission has directed all licenced broadcasting stations, owned, established or operated by private individuals, federal, state and local government across the country on the payment of statutory levy.

The Director-General of NBC Balarabe Shehu Ilelah issued the directive to the stations on the statutory levy in a letter which was sighted by THISDAY last night.

The directive was on the heels of the threat to revoke the broadcast licences of 52 broadcast stations by the regulator and disconnect the stations over indebtedness amounting to N2.6 billion incurred since 2015.

He said the mandatory levy was in line with the provision of Section 14 (1) (2) (a) of the National Broadcasting Commission Act CAP NII, Laws of the Federation, 2004. Ilelah quoted the Section as saying that the Commission was expected to maintain a fund from which shall be defrayed all expenditure incurred by it.

He said Section 2 (10) (a-d) of the National Broadcasting Code, 6th edition makes it mandatory for a broadcast station to remit 2.5 per cent of its annual income.

The annual income referred to is the Gross Annual Income and it is to be remitted either monthly or annually.

The NBC DG warned that under the Code, defaulters would be regarded to have committed a Class A offence which attracts heavy punishment.

"You are required to finish the Commission with the up to date audited accounts of your company to enable the Commission compute the amount due as their statutory levy not later than September 30, 2022," Ilelah said.

He warned that the NBC would be left with no option than to apply appropriate sanction, including but not limited to non- renewal of broadcast licence of any station which fails to comply within the stipulated period.