The Federation of Muslim Councils (FMC), an umbrella body of Muslim organisations in Ghana, has thrown its weight behind renewed efforts by stakeholders to sanitise the media space of ‘offensive’ content.
In a statement copied to the Ghanaian Times yesterday, the Council urged government to “ride on the current goodwill and muster courage to quickly push for passage of the Broadcasting Bill” to among others, bring decorum on the country’s airwaves.
“The FMC joins other moral voices of society in speaking out against the indiscipline on the airwaves in Ghana and moans the gradual erosion of moral and ethical values of society and called on all stakeholders to actively engage and reverse the trend,” the statement signed by the Council’s Secretary-General, Al-Hajj Muhammad Amir Kpakpo Addo, said.
In the view of the Council, it was high time the National Media Commission’s (NMC) “Guidelines on Religious Broadcasting’ launched in 2018, was enforced to define the principles and clarify the rules governing religious broadcasts in the country.
“The guidelines, for being what media practitioners may call ‘self-regulating’, may not have far-reaching effects in terms of commanding respect but that notwithstanding, the nation has a duty to protect its citizens by whatever means possible,” it said.
The FMC reiterated that instilling moral and ethical values in society needed a multi-stakeholder approach involving the home, school, church (faith-based institutions) and the media.
“There is therefore the need for stakeholders to refocus on our ethical and moral values as a nation and to sanitise the airwaves, accordingly and parents must also show interest in their wards’ education, training and moral upbringing,” the Council maintained.
Meanwhile, a joint team of Police and National Security Intelligence Operatives, in collaboration with the National Communications Authority (NCA) on Tuesday arrested owner of “Thunder TV” and “Ice TV”, Patience Asiedua, popularly known as “Nana Agradaa”.
The popular television fetish priestess was arrested for illegally transmitting without licence at Kasoa in the Central Region.
Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, who confirmed the arrest in a Facebook post yesterday, disclosed that Nana Agradaa has admitted to the illegality and “is currently in custody assisting with further investigations”.
“The influx of unregulated television stations on air have led to promotion of certain content which may affect public order, public morality and the rights and reputation of others.
As such, efforts are underway to rid the system of this canker and reduce overcrowding on Ghana’s air waves,” the Minister signaled.
Following the gruesome murder of 11-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdallah, by his teenage friends at Kasoa in the Central Region, public debate have been rife over modern media content which has been invaded by spiritualists and unscrupulous persons.
Killers of the 11-year-old had confessed to using the victim for money rituals at the request of a female spiritualist at Amanase near Suhum in the Eastern Region.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
