The National Media Commission (NMC) has issued a final warning to Onua FM over a controversial broadcast by the morning show host Captain Smart and demanded an unqualified apology and retraction from the station.
Captain Smart allegedly insulted the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and other Commanders of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) as beasts and claimed they had embezzled monies meant for soldiers on peacekeeping operations.
This, the Commission said, was dangerous and unprofessional because Captain Smart offered no evidence to back his claims.
The letter, signed by the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission, expressed deep concern over the station’s “dangerous and unprofessional” behavior.
The NMC stressed that this incident follows a previous warning issued on December 8, 2022, regarding the promotion of violence against the state and yet despite the earlier warning, the problematic conduct persisted, prompting the present intervention.
The letter emphasized the need for the station to take immediate measures to curb such behavior and enhance its capacity for regulatory compliance.
“We ask 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 ask that you put in measures to stop the dangerous behavior of the station and improve the station’s capacity for regulatory compliance,” the letter stated, setting a deadline of November 19, 2023, for the station to provide evidence of compliance.