NBC refuses to comment on Hisbah’s letter to Cool FM for using the term ‘Black Friday’

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has refused to make any comment on the letter addressed to a radio station, 96.9FM by Shariah police organisation, Hisbah, in Kano State for using the term ‘Black Friday’.

Newsflash247 had earlier reported that Hisbah corps had asked the radio station to stop using the ‘Black Friday’ tag in the state, saying the majority of the inhabitants of the state are Muslims who consider the day as “holy”.

Hisbah, an Islamic police operating in many states in the North, has been accused of several human rights abuses.

But the spokesman for the NBC, Antia Ekanem, said he was on leave when the Punch contacted him for comment.

“Please I am on leave and I cannot make any comment,” he said.

Attempts to speak with the Director General of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, proved abortive as he neither responded to repeated calls nor a text message on Friday.

The NBC Act states that the commission is the only organisation that has the power to prescribe a code for broadcasters and sanction them. The NBC has also been known to impose fines on errant radio stations.

On Thursday, the Kano State Hisbah Board, which is tasked with the duty of enforcing Sharia law in Kano State, wrote a letter to a radio station, in Kano State, 96.9 Cool FM, for using the term ‘Black Friday’.

Black Friday is an informal name for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The term is used worldwide to mean a day for promotional sales where goods are sold at discounted prices.

However, in a letter signed by Principal Executive Officer II, Abubakar Ali, on behalf of the Commander General, Hisbah stated that Friday is regarded as a holy day in Islam and tagging it as ‘black’ is derogatory and would not be condoned.

The document titled ‘Letter of Introduction’ reads in part, “I am directed to write and notify you that the office is in receipt of a complaint for the conduct of ‘Black Friday Sales’ on November 27, 2020.

“Accordingly, we wish to express our concern on the tagging of Friday as ‘Black Friday’ and further inform you that the majority of the inhabitants of Kano State are Muslims that consider Friday as a holy day.

“In view of the foregoing, you are requested to stop calling the day ‘Black Friday’ with immediate effect and note that the Hisbah Corps will be around for surveillance purposes with a view to avoiding occurrence of any immoral activities as well as maintaining peace, harmony and stability in the state.”

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