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By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Residents of Lokoja, kogi state capital and its environs have decried scarcity or epileptic road broadcast in the area,a development they noted, had impeded efforts aimed at bringing information to the door step of every home in the state, especially as the 2023 general elections draw nearer.
A typical, functioning radio studio in Nigeria.
Those,who expressed feelings in separate interview with the Correspondent of The Reporters in Lokoja on Sunday, noted that the development had denied them ,especially radio enthusiasts among them, the opportunity to know developments outside within and outside the state.
Mal.Hassan Mohammed, Isah Abdulkadir, Moses Alabi, Sunday Jacob among others, described the lull in radio broadcast in recent time in the area as most unfortunate and one that deserved timely reversal, given the importance of radio in information dissemination to the grass roots in the society.
“Kogi state is surrounded by at least,10 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in which case, residents need to know what’s going on in those states and vice versa, but this is not to be now,” Mohammed said.
Alabi,who toed the line of Mohammed, called on members of the public and private sectors of the economy in the state to support the radio stations in the area by giving them advertisements and other incentives.
He argued that such effort would enable the electronic media outfits meet up with the high cost of maintaining their equipment and overhead cost.
An investigation by our Correspondent shows that the only active private radio station in Lokoja,Grace FM, has been off the air for almost a week now, leaving the area with the service of Radio Nigeria, located at Jengbe,a suburb of Lokoja.
Jacob called on well to do citizens of the state to pay back to the state by establishing radio stations in the state by investing their financial aid material resources in the establishment of radio stations.
He reminded those concerned that by such move, they would go along way in expanding media space and enable the people get aquainted with development within,outside the state and the country at large.
“Ilorin, the capital of the neighbouring Kwara state has 15 private radio stations, what stops Lokoja from having at least,5 radio stations,” asked.
He commended Sen. Tunde Ogbeha for establishing Grace FM, adding that by actualising such initiative, he had written his name in gold as one of the patrotic citizens of the state and called on others to take a cue from his exemplary leadership.
Jacob also praised Mr Edward Jatto,an indigene of Obehira in Kogi Central Senatorial district of the state, for establishing Jatto FM radio station.in Okene.
A source at Grace FM station,,who spoke with our Correspondent on the condition of anonymity, cited high cost of diesel, lack of advertisement from the public and private sectors in the state and the turn around maitainance of the equipment bring carried out as the factors responsible for the temporary closure of the radio station.
“More importantly, the environment is not friendly to the our radio station; no advertisement from the public sector and members of the private sector do not help the matter.
“On top of this, we are buying diesel at a cost of N800.00 per litre and we are not on public electricity,all these culminated in the sorry we find ourselves today in the course of broadcasting to the public.
“The few advertisements we get are mostly from Lagos and other states of the federation, this is not a good story to tell. I think a reversal of the situation will enhance the financial capacity of radio stations in Lokoja to serve the people yearning to know about the social, economic and political developments, in and outside the state,” he said.
He disclosed that efforts were on to return the service of the radio station but declined to reveal when that will be.
Our Correspondent gathered that though the state-owned radio station, Radio kogi, has been off the air for months now, due to break down of transmitter, the state government has awarded contract for the replacement of the equipment.
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