From Kenneth Udeh, Abuja
Nigerian businessman and CEO of Moreplex TV, Mr. John Okorocha, has commended the House of Representatives for urging the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to end unfair practices against leading local investors in the country.
He mentioned the aviation, oil and gas sector, Air Peace and Dangote, and other local businesses.
The green chamber had, sequel to a motion moved by Babjimi Benson of Ikorodu Federal Constituency, mandated the committees on Aviation, Commerce, and Petroleum (upstream and downstream) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the predatory pricing practices and unethical business competitive behaviours by foreign airlines and IOCs.
Okorocha, who applauded the actions of the lawmakers asked them to intervene specifically on the issue of local Pay TV investors vis-a-vis their big capitalist competitor that has held on to monopoly of channels even when it’s against the Code of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) as amended.
The Moreplex TV boss called on the Federal Government and other relevant agencies, like the FCCPC to mandate the NBC to live by its own books through policy actions against some of the foreign Pay TV platforms.
“Ending monopoly and exclusivity in the Pay TV sector will encourage a lot of investors into the TV industry, thereby creating more jobs and offering our people much more for less. Even where several courts have ruled against these actions, the NBC has not effectively implemented them,” Okorocha added.
He further agreed with Hon Babajimi Benson, who stated that it took the entrance of the Air Peace into the Lagos-London route for Nigerians to have access to flight tickets as low as less than N1 million.
Okorocha believes that with the cooperation of the NBC, such a feat would be achieved in the Pay TV sector of the economy with more jobs created in the sector.