By Correspondent in Lokoja.
The Executive Director Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR),Comrade Idris Miliki Abdul, has expressed worry over the total neglect and abandonment of Kogi State-owned radio station, other wise known as Radio Kogi.
Abdul,who expressed his feeling in a statement he issued in Lokoja on Tuesday and made available to Journalists, wondered why the over 30-year-old radio station had been abandoned and made to rot away, since March 2021.
He noted that the premises of the now moribund radio station had gone into sorry state.
He further lamented that patronizing broadcast stations outside the state had improved their revenue profile at the expense of the people of the state who would have used Radio kogi to promote their culture,receive and disseminate adequate information through such channel of communication.
He said:”Media is a medium of expression and information sharing, it also serves as a revenue generation organization and an outfit for employment, whether private or public owned in a society.
“It is regretable to note that since March 2021 or thereabout, the Kogi State-owned radio station has been off-air without justification and verifiable explanation by Kogi State government.
“Apparently, no genuine effort has been made since then to inject life into the station.
“A visit to the premises of Kogi State radio station in Lokoja, which serves as the mouth piece or mouth organ of the state government and people, shows a radio bstation in a sorry state of existence. The premises now hosts damaged furniture and unkept environment,this is not conducive for media service.
“Recall that in the 31 years of the existence of Kogi State, the state is yet to establish its own television station in the 21st century.”
Abdul, who reviewed the budgetary allocations for the radio station, also expressed concern that the broadcast medium is being underfunded.
He continued:”A closer look at the 2022 Budget, the Kogi State Government allocated a paltry N140,219,589 only to Kogi Broadcasting Corporation.
“Also in the 2023, the approved budget, signed by Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, is N299,947,255 only for Kogi Broadcasting Corporation.
“In a digital era, what can this amount do, or improve in a medium that has been off air for the past 18 months or thereabout?
“The staff of Kogi State Radio Station cannot practice their trade or profession since there are no equipment to do so.”
He called on Governor Bello to declare state of emergency on Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation as a matter of urgency.
He also called on the Governor to visit the radio station without further delay, stressing that the visit imperative “to safe this all important media establishment.”
According to the human rights expert, Radio kogi was established ” in the interest of justice, information dissemination, improvement on revenue generation and development of human capital.”
“We call on the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and all media practitioners, within and outside the state, to safe Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation on the current mess it found itself”, he urged.
Abdul noted with regret that in spite the fact that 2023 general electíons gather momentum,”Kogi Radio has no role to play.”
“We call on the Kogi State Government to urgently bring Kogi Radio Station back on-air without further delay,” he stressed.
One of the senior staff of the radio station,who spoke with The Reporters on the condition of anonymity commended Miliki for his action.
He said,” The major problem of the station is lack of transmitter, once we get a new transmitter installed and working, we will bounce back on air immediately, other problems notwithstanding.”
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
