Emmanuel Ukudolo
November 19, 2015 – Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has queried government owned broadcast stations for playing second fiddle in the sector.
The minister queried them at his inaugural meeting with heads of parastatals under his ministry in Abuja. The minister who was worried about the development even when it is on record that those making waves in the private outfits had their tutelage in government owned stations.
For the minister, the reasons are not far-fetched. According to him, public broadcasters have thrown professionalism to the wind while also showing total disregard for editorial independence.
“They have mortgaged their credibility on the altar of political correctness. Yet, these Federal Government-owned media establishments are endowed with highly-trained and well-qualified personnel, better infrastructure and a wide reach.
“It is interesting to note that these government-owned media organizations complain of financial woes, forgetting that there is a link between credibility and profitability. Advertisers will surely flock to more credible media organizations, and of course it is also true that content drives advertisement”, he said.
The minister was equally critical of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), which he said was once the leading news medium in Africa.
“The same law of diminishing returns also apply to NAN, which was once the leading national news agency in the whole of Africa, boasting of the best professionals in the news business. Today, the agency is punching far below its weight, despite its presence in all the states of the Federation”, the minister said.
He explained that the present leadership intends to provide leadership for the Federal Government-owned media organizations in a manner that will make them to become the first source of information, so that they can more effectively function as a vehicle for the change mantra of the Buhari Administration, and also regain their lost glory.He noted that the combined reach of the NTA, FRCN and NAN, if effectively utilized, will facilitate the success of the change campaign.
“But they must first enhance their own credibility, because no credibility-deficient news organization can successfully propagate the message of change”, he said. He noted that under the present government, no Federal Government-owned media organization will deny the opposition the opportunity to air their views.
“It is true that while we were in opposition, we were treated as outcasts by these public broadcasters. They denied us the use of their platforms, they rejected our adverts and even made themselves available for the most abhorrent hate campaign ever in the history of electioneering campaign in our country.
“ But in an era of change, which is our mantra, that cannot and will not continue. Opposition members are Nigerians, just like members of the ruling party. Even the ruling party will benefit when the opposition is allowed to air their views freely, because you learn more from people who disagree with you. Therefore, let the ruling party and the opposition air their ideas and let the people, who wield the ultimate power, decide at the end of the day”, he said.
