…Adamawa Governor, Commissioner of Information passed in front of the gate for a programme at Gotel Communications – a private media – he’s never stepped his foot in ATV Yola – state government owned media – even when the Governor’s DG media and publicity, now permanent secretary, is a product of the station. The Governor also had programmes in a leaking makeshift studio at ABC Yola…
It appears that the staff with the seeming state government neglected public media corporations in Adamawa state have started singing the “once bitten twice shy” and “down with injustice in appointments solidarity song, boldly seeking for due process in promotions based on seniority and appointments devoid of undue sentiments.
Staff of the premier radio station, Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation, ABC, Yola have staged a protest over the attempt by the Ministry of Information and Strategy to impose one of the directors in the corporation to serve as General Manager in acting capacity in disregard to the scheme of service.
The former General Manager of the radio station, on attainment of 60 years in service, was said to have handed over to the most senior director in the corporation who was a substantive director since 2007 but for alleged schemers’ exclusivist reasons, the handing over was revoked in favour the one-of-us-ness favourite of some key actors in the ministry of information.
The favourite who would be raised above his superior, by taking over in acting capacity was only confirmed as a director in 2017, the same way a most senior lady director was schemed out at Adamawa Television Corporation, ATV Yola.
According to some anonymous sources, the information ministry said the director who was appointed in 2017 is senior to the one who was director since 2007, the development, which irked the ABC staff to revolt by blocking the entrance gate of the corporation for some hours, for two consecutive days, (Monday and Tuesday) before the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, intervened and directed that Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information and Strategy should oversee the affairs of the corporation pending the appointment of a substantive general manager.
According to sources, documents of the two directors were altered in favour of the one rejected by staff before reaching the office of the Head of Service when he requested their files.
To further douse the tension, the Commissioner Ministry of Information and Strategy, Dr Umar Garba Pella convened a meeting with union officials of RATTAWU and NUJ in his office for them to cooperate with the Permanent Secretary who is to oversee the station.
A source revealed the scenario thus: “For the wrong intention to handover the station to the wrong person; When Mr Alleni retired, he handed over to the most senior director, Mr Abdul-Nasir Ali.
“Now, the ministry of information, through the permanent secretary, is attempting to forcibly do a second handover to Michael Musa. This injustice is what we are protesting against.
“The permanent secretary did the same thing to ATV last November, 2022. When the director administration retired, he handed over to the most senior staff member who happens to be a female, Huraira Muhammad Dodo but he went and brought a different person from another ministry who has no knowledge of the workings in the media.
“Huraira grew through the ranks but he denied her the office and the person he brought is not better than her in terms of experience and knowledge”.
A great disservice is said to have meted to the public broadcasting corporations in the state with the outright neglect. “The state government’s media outfits have never had it that ugly than in the present regime; the medium that the government ought to utilise to promote her policies and programmes are left to rot while the privately owned are being patronised.
“Do you know that the Governor has never visited ATV Yola? Do you know that the news in ATV Yola isn’t any longer live but recorded? Do you also know that there’s no longer any means to fuel the station’s generators in case of power outage?
“We watched the DG media and publicity to the Governor, now a permanent secretary, who is a product of the station, the Hon Commissioner of Information and the Governor himself passed in front of the ATV gate to go for a programme at Gotel Communications?” A staff member with the media station would lament.
“The ABC is left with only the FM facility at Mbamba where the studio is more of a makeshift with leaking roof. It’s terrible during the rainy season. Termites and reptiles have found a befitting shelter, competing with the producers and presenters who always pray, seeking for divine protection against any venom.
“Unlike the ATV, the Governor, the Commissioner and the DG visit the FM component of the ABC for a programme but are yet to consider fixing things.
“It’s truly shameful that there would be sentiment based on position of responsibility and appointments, when the ministry ought to have considered making the public media function maximally,” anonymous staff with the radio station would lament.
