The Nation Newspaper

Tag: RADIO

  • Akeusola: Exit of radio repairer-turned prof

    Akeusola: Exit of radio repairer-turned prof

    There was a time I went to say hello to him during his first term. Surprisingly, he prostrated in the midst of people and started telling them ‘come and see my teacher’. I was touched and I said you are simply embarrassing me.

    He brought a lot of development into MOCPED. He was able to use his influence to attract funding particularly through TETFund. He completely changed the landscape of the college.

    AFTER failing the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) five times, family members and friends thought he was not cut for academics. They advised him to look for something else to do. He became a radio repairer. But he never gave up on himself academically.

    Prof Oluwarotimi Sikiru Akeusola, who died last Friday, relished telling the story of how he  rose from a radio repairer to a professor of languages. Until he died, he was Provost of Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED) in Noforija, Epe.

    The late Akeusola, who was a professor of Comparative Grammar in French and Yoruba languages, was a scholar and a traditionalist. Some liked him for his generosity, others perceived him as a dictator. People from different walks of life thronged his Epe home to pay their last respect at his funeral, last Saturday.

    Many still did not believe that Akeusola, who was spending the second year of his second term as MOCPED Provost, has died. Until his death, he was full of life.

    Akeusola was the first provost of the 23-year institution to complete his four year in office, and also secured a second term.

    Last February 21, he hosted friends and well-wishers at his 54th birthday. The deceased, who founded Olu Akeusola Foundation, gave scholarships to students on this occasion as he usually did yearly.

    He told many of his friends and colleagues that he owed humanity a lot because of his rise in life.

    Though he was from a prominent family in Epe, life dealt him a big blow following the death of his father when he was a teenager. But by a stroke of luck, he picked up again enrolled at Lagos State College of Education (now) Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Oto/Ijaninkin for his National Certificate of Education (NCE) in Yoruba/French between 1983 and 1986.  He then proceeded to the University of Lagos (Unilag) for his first degree in French and Comparative Grammar between 1987 and 1990.

    During his undergraduate years, he bagged Unilag best student of the year (1988/89); and best performance in French (1989/90). Upon graduation, Akeusola received the Vice Chancellor’s award for best performance at the degree level in 1989/90 session, as well as the Best graduating student in French and Comparative Grammar in 1995 in his Master’s class before proceeding for his Ph.D.

    Akeusola excelled in Translation, Lecturing and Linguistic Criticism of Theories and Syntactic Structures, qualities that stood him out for an award  by the International Biographical Central Cambridge (IBCC,) England, as one of the world’s 2000 outstanding scholars of the Century in 2001.

    Besides, he published many text books and articles in learned journals, seminar papers, and edited several academic publications.

    “I wish to be remembered as a man, who saw MOCPED as a jungle and turned it into construction sites,” he told reporters, who asked him how he would love to be remembered after leaving the institution.

    Many spoke of his ability in facilitating infrastructures from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) in the 23-year-old institution.

    “He has done tremendously well in the school. He transformed the school to the best of his ability. We will miss his humility, leadership quality, and openness. He is just an embodiment of good. May God grant him eternal rest,” said MOCPED Registrar Bola Shittu.

    “It is very unfortunate. He was our leader, a friend, a senior colleague. But what can we do, we give glory to God because he said in all situations, we should thank Him,” he added.

    The late Akeusola was unapologetic about his belief in tradition.

    He acquired 26 chieftaincy titles across Ijebu land. He once told The Nation that he was a perfect example of a builder of town and gown.

    “I do not have any regret for all (chieftaincy) titles I have taken,” Akeusola said.

    He added: “I see myself as a bridge builder between the academia and the outside world. I’m an erudite scholar with connections all over the world; and as a holder of many traditional titles, I believe I can combine these together to bring progress to my Epe homeland, to MOCPED where I am Provost and Lagos State in particular.”

    The late Akeusola advocated the return of Grade 2 as a feeder to colleges of education.

    He canvassed improved funding for teachers’ education and improved welfare for practitioners.  He was also an advocate of standard, who insisted that only qualified teachers should be licensed to teach.”

    MOCPED’s, academic members held a procession for him at his funeral. His colleagues and students  have been sharing memories of him.

    One of his old students at AOCOED, Peter Ikufisile, described him as an innovator.

    “He (Akeusola) changed the face of French once he came to AOCOED,” Ikufisile recalled, adding: “He was always unhappy and could get angry sometimes when things were not moving.”

    Ikufisile continued: “I was then a student of French/Social Studies in 1992-1993. I remember that he (Akeusola) started his teaching career in AOCOED when  I was there. We used to have a French Club, which was more or less moribund before he came.

    “He was not comfortable with the situation then. I remember he picked a quarrel with the executive of the French Club over their lack of vision. They (executive) later carried out his instruction and that was when life was pumped back into the club. He single-handedly redrafted the club’s constitution. It was afterwards that other activities such as French debate, French interactive session, and excursions by French students fully kicked off. It was such a fun.”

    “He was a mentor, a leader, a father and a peaceful and cheerful giver… Rest in peace Olu Rotimi Sikiru Akeusola,” National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee (NANS-JCC) Lagos wrote in the condolence register.

    His former teacher at AOCOED Dr Femi Adeshina, described him as a go-getter.

    “He was a very good scholar right from when he studied Yoruba/French and a good administrator too. Akeusola is a gentleman, humble and well respected. He knew what he wanted and would go for it. He was also a person with generous spirit. He was so blunt; he would say it the way it is, regardless of whether anybody liked it or not. Besides, he would not hold grudges. He was somebody with great plan for MOCPED and his people. It’s a tragedy that he was cut short in his prime.

    “When he became the Provost (of MOCPED), there was a time I went to say hello to him during his first term. Surprisingly, he prostrated in the midst of people and started telling them ‘come and see my teacher’. I was touched and I said: ‘you are simply embarrassing me’,”Dr Adeshina said.

    The Governing Council of MOCPED, praised the deceased for facilitating infrastructures into the institution.

    “He brought a lot of development into MOCPED. He was able to use his influence to attract funding particularly through TETFund. He completely changed the landscape of the college,” said. Chairman of the Governing Council Alhaja Sekinat Yussuf.

    “He also ensured all programmes being run at the NCE as well as the affiliate degree education programmes of the college got full accreditation.”

    She said against impressions in some quarters. Akeusola was not dictatorial.

    “He was a very hunble person, Yussuf continued.

    “Whenever we had deliberations at the Council level, he respected constituted authority. He knows the Council is in charge of making policy for the college. So as the administrator, he maintains his limit while we maintained ours.

    “The entire college will miss him for his charisma. He was a very great giver and had greater plans he mapped out for the college. Unfortunately, he was yet to achieve them all before death took him away.

    Another member of Council Sade Abiola Agbalajobi said Epe Division had lost another rare scholar. “Olu was somebody the whole community was very proud of. He was always after the progress of the community and MOCPED in  particular.

    She continued: “The 18 months we have spent together (in Council) we really enjoyed him. He would come out with the points, fact and figures. At the end of deliberations, you would be convinced that this is truly the state of things; our expectation as regards what to do next was never in doubt.”

    She lamented that Epe Division has the misfortune of losing its best scholars at such an early age.

    “Look at (late) Prof Femi Agbalajobi, Dr (Obafemi Abioye) Ayantuga and now Olu (Akeusola) again. We don’t have many of them here (Epe). We know professors, who are 70s and 80s, and yet are still alive. Why do we lose our own so early in Epe?” Agbalajobi wondered.

    Kolape Lapite of the Department of Educational Psychology said:  “He was one of those who brought gown to town. He was a traditionalist to the core and an erudite scholar.”

    Dr Tunde Lawal, Director, Academic Planning, at AOCOED also said of the linguistin: “Akeusola was a student of AOCOED and later became a lecturer before he crossed to the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).  It is indeed, a great loss. He touched so many lives as the National Secretary of the Committee of Provosts in Nigeria. His deeds spoke louder when he became Provost of MOCPED.”

    “One good thing about him was that no matter what he became in life, he remained humble. He was also a great philanthropist.”

    AOCOED may not be averse to immortalising him, according to Adeshina, who is the institution’s Deputy Provost of AOCOED. The college, he said, still considered the deceased as its own.

    “He was a very good scholar right from when he Studied Yoruba/French and a good administrator when he held some key offices here.

    “We will think of what to do to immortalise his name. He was an outstanding alumnus.”

  • My radio programmes target youths – Odutayo

    My radio programmes target youths – Odutayo

    Greg Odutayo is the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Roots Television and owner of R2 92.9 Fm, Ibadan.  He was once the president of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP).  In this interview with Edozie Udeze, he talks about the prospects of theatre, television and radio programmes, how to capture the youths and lots more.  Excerpts

    This year’s World Theatre Day (WTD) was more coordinated and vibrant.  What was the secret behind it?

    What was the secret, hmh?  Well, without trying to impugn on reputations, I think it was just about time we gave the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) a new lease of life.  We technically had three years of inactivity because the last executives did not really do enough.  May be they would say they tried their best, but they didn’t really do enough for the good of the association.  We now have a change of guard in terms of leadership and I think with that change of guard all of us said to ourselves – oh, it is time to move NANTAP on to the next level.  We said look we need to refocus the association; we need to redirect how the association is perceived.  Therefore, all hands had to be on deck to achieve this.  This was why everybody rallied round based on that perception.  That was why the WTD this year was quite successful, with almost all the former presidents in attendance.  It wasn’t so much a big event, but the quality of people and the content of the plays showed that we are on the right track now.  We are happy it came out that way.  And we hope the association will henceforth take its rightful place in the arena of theatre in the society.  We are not there yet, but we hope that with this new resurgence, we’ll get better.

    Surprisingly, NANTAP did better with the WTD under a caretaker executive…?

    It is an individual commitment; that desire to bring everybody together.  That was what you saw in the caretaker executives.  It is about that drive to get things done better.  At times when you have a better grasp of your past; the history behind it, it is better.  Unfortunately at times we flop in our leadership style.  A people deserve the kind of leadership they get.  A leadership is not by mistake.  It is we who put them there.  So, we use our own hands to put those who cannot perform.  Then when they do not perform, we are still the people to take responsibility for it.  I think it was as a result of making it an inclusive event and ensuring that everybody rallied round to make it a success.  We learn everyday and I hope as a people we will be the better for it in the end.

    What is happening to the Festival of Nigerian Theatre Arts (FESTINA) that has been in limbo in the past years?

    Ah! (laughs) because I am not the NANTAP president now, I cannot speak for the association.  However, I think it is the present leadership that will be able to tell us what their plans are to revive and reinvent FESTINA.  FESTINA is an excellent platform for NANTAP to excel.  Over the years it had not been run properly.  Let me put it that way.  Some of us have always insisted that it has to be run properly so as to maintain its aims and objectives.  I also reiterated in the last meeting that NANTAP is not a production company.  Therefore in organizing FESTINA, NANTAP should only provide the platform for the festival to take place.  Let artistes then donate their plays and let them be commissioned and so on.  Members should see FESTINA as an aspiration.  So if the current leadership is able to propel FESTINA based on that, it’ll be great, be a successful outing.  It will no longer be like what it used to be in the past when the association gave out plays, commissioned productions and so on.  No, that is not the role of NANTAP.  NANTAP is to provide the environment and the platform for the festival to thrive.  This is a platform that can get a sponsorship, a platform that can put money into the pockets of those who put up their productions for people to see.  The theatre itself is enjoying a resurgence.  You notice that in the past one or two years, stage theatre has been on the rise again.  This is good; it is heartwarming.  And we hope it’ll continue; for truly there has never been a time we had these number of theatrical productions in Nigeria.  In Abuja it’s happening.  In Lagos it’s all over the place.  Go to places like Port Harcourt, Warri, it is the same.  See the new theatre outfit opened by Bolanle Austen-Peters in Victoria Island.  It is fantastic.  That new venue should encourage more theatre productions.  Lagos State government has also promised us five new theatres in the state.  Go to Freedom Park every weekend, you will see theatre productions.  See also what Wole Oguntokun is doing with his Theatre Republic at Lekki.  So, we have never had it so good.  It is not really where we should be but we are moving on in the right direction.

    Let’s come to Tv soaps.  We have this tendency to use more of foreign soaps for local viewing.  At what point do you think we’ll begin to have local contents?

    We are almost there.  However, I’ll put the blame at the doorsteps of the board and also self-regulation.  Let me put it that way.  You know there was a time it used to be worst than this.  And NBC did something for us then, that the prime time of seven to ten was enforced then.  That brought a new wave of enthusiasm in producers and the contents of their products.  They said seven to ten prime time is available for you.  Before now, it wasn’t available for you.  But then the regulator needs to do more.  We should be able to tell ourselves that these foreign contents are not the best, they are not good enough for our platform.  We need our own ideas, our own contents; we need to project our own people and so on.  These foreign contents do not bring any values to the people except putting a little money into individual pockets.  In term of cultural values, attitude, way of life, these soaps do not add to our values.  But these things are cheap to acquire.  So, it is for us as broadcasters to change this.  The consumer can only consume what we give to him.  But in terms of technical expertise and so on, we have the people to produce soaps for us.  We may not have the money or the sponsorship yet, but other things are in place.  NBC can shout from now till tomorrow but we as content providers if we are not socially responsible, NBC can only fine once or twice.  We need to rely on our own culture.  Nigerians want to consume local content.  They want to see their own cultures portrayed on Tv and it is our responsibility to do so.  We lack support and good advertisers.  If we have that we can produce two thousand episodes of local contents.  But it is cheap to slam foreign soaps on Tv.  Even if they go on Tv, they should be pushed to those times that are not prime time.  But before then we and the regulators have to do our bit.  The reality is that the content is there waiting to be consumed.  There was a time I got a programme like that on my Tv.  But even me when it was on, I changed channel:  I wasn’t interested.  So what I did was to yank it off.  Today I have up to 97% local content on Royal Roots Television.  If other Tv producers can do that it can then move us nearer to that El-dorado you talked about.

    You can then rely on the existing literatures to form your content – how possible? 

    Yes, it is possible, it is realistic.  We believe it is something that can happen.  We need to have that kind of arrangement because we are gradually losing our cultural values.  We have to rely on some of the works of the masters.  Even when you ask a lot of people they do not know who they are.  Many of our children do not know who Wole Soyinka is or who is Chinua Achebe or Elechi Amadi and so on.  So it is time.  Things Fall Apart used to be everybody’s sing song.  But today if you ask any kid what is Things Fall Apart, he does not know, he doesn’t have a clue.  So we need to bring back this renaissance in order to prosper cultural values.  The only way really is adapting some of these literatures by the masters.

    So, do you see any form of synergy working between ANA and NANTAP at an official level to make this work?

    Yes, of course, synergies are always important.  When I was NANTAP president, I preached a lot of synergies.  In fact, I can say with all sense of responsibility that my tenure was full of blessings for the association.  Then we had leaders in all the Guilds who were eager and ready to collaborate with NANTAP to make it work.  We did a lot of advocacy together, because there’s strength in number.  Today, we try to revive NUTAF and NUTASA in order to incorporate students in tertiary institutions into what we are doing.  By the end of this month the University of Benin, will be hosting NUTAF.  When I was NANTAP president we collaborated with SONTA a lot.  ANA also used to collaborate with NANTAP in area of play writing competition.  So you cannot do or go it alone.

    You have R2 92.9 Fm radio station in Ibadan.  How did the idea come about?

    Yes, incidentally, the history of my Tv, the Royal Roots, cannot be complete without a radio station.  We started as a radio station before we veered into television.  We started with a lot of radio commercials, productions and so on.  We did a lot of major radio dramas.  Then about ten years ago we put in for a radio license.  We were on it till last year when we finally got it.  And we were really licensed to have it in Ibadan.  Radio for me, is my first love.  It may not be as lucrative as Tv yet I derive a lot of pleasure from it.  It has a lot of reach and a lot on how you influence people and so on.  So, why Ibadan?  It is where we got license.  Also we saw it as an emerging city ready to accommodate more radio stations.  There are about 25 radio stations there.  But they have more of Yoruba stations and those who broadcast in funny English accent.  So we needed to come in to be real and capture the youths.  The youths are my target – those in higher institutions and so on.  Both our Tv and radio are targeting our youths.  They constitute over 60% of the population in Africa and we need to carry them along in our programmes and in our content value.  This is what we have done in Ibadan.  We are well-structured and defined to look into drama, entertainment, sports and general youth programmes.  We got our focus right before we began.  Today we are well-received in Ibadan and its environs.  In the last rating that came up, we’ll say that technically we were rated number one barely after one year of operation.  We were above all the English stations before us in Ibadan.  Our setting is content and that is what is going for us.

  • Poly opens campus radio

    The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida (BIDA POLY) in Niger State, Dr Abubakar Zukogi, has made good his promise, establishing radio station on the campus.

    The station, which is situated at the Mass Communication Department complex, is equipped with modern equipment for the training of students to attaining professionalism, which the rector said remains an objective of his administration.

    Zukogi, a seasoned broadcaster, expressed delight in the quality of equipment procured, saying: “Despite paucity of funds, the school made effort to get it done because we want to equip students with practical skills that would make them attain professionalism.”

    The radio is on Frequency Modulation (FM) 101.2 and it is being test run across the campus.

  • Radio journalist kidnapped in Benue

    The Benue Police Command said a Radio Journalist, Mrs Iyuadoo Tor-Agbidye, had been kidnapped on Friday in her house in Makurdi.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the kidnapped journalist is married to Mr Achim Tor-Agbidye, a Zonal Manager with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Makurdi.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr Bashir Makama, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Makurdi.

    Makama said the police had already swung into action by setting up a network for the arrest of the suspects and appealed to the public to volunteer information that would lead to their arrests.

    “We have already visited the site; we are constructing our narrative with the purpose of narrowing down possible suspects before effecting arrests.

    “The police cannot provide security for each person so, what we do is to improve the general security of the people by taking proactive steps to curb crime in the state,” he said.(NAN)

  • Obiano and Igbo radio

    Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State last week announced his intention to establish a radio station to transmit only in Igbo language. The move is part of his contributions to save the Igbo language from going into extinction.

    In addition, pupils in primary and secondary schools would wear Igbo traditional dresses to school on Wednesdays while folklore would be taught primary school children in the evenings of the same day. The governor harped on the capacity of folklore to build sound and good moral values with a promise to reinvigorate the law compelling everybody in the state to communicate in Igbo language every Wednesday.

    He also intends to liaise with the state House of Assembly to enact a law that would compel every resident of the state to wear Igbo traditional attire on Wednesdays. Before now, the UNESCO had listed Igbo as one of the languages that stood to go extinct unless concerted efforts are made to preserve it.

    Given these fears, the measures enunciated by Obiano especially the ones relating to the setting up of a radio station to broadcast only in Igbo language and the teaching of Igbo folklore in primary schools are right steps targeted at arresting the decline. There is no doubt Igbo language has been passing through serious challenges such that could lead to its abrupt death unless concerted and concrete action is taken to stem the decline.

    The UNESCO had identified a number of factors that could determine the vitality of a language which embodies the totality of a people’s culture, tradition and identity. Among the factors are intergenerational language transmission, absolute number of speakers, availability of materials for language education and literacy. The rest are government and institutional language attitudes and policies, community members’ attitudes to their language and the quantity of documentation available.

    Weighed along these vitality criteria, the intervention by Obiano represents positive action to address some of the factors that stand on the way to the survival of the Igbo language. The measures seek to change the negative attitude of the Igbo people to their language, avail them with materials for language education and literacy through the Igbo radio station. It is also targeted at changing community members’ attitudes such that will encourage them speak their language contrary to their current aversion to it.

    The governor seeks through the measures to reverse the dangerous trend whereby the Igbo people prefer to speak the English language to the detriment of their mother tongue. So Obiano is on the right path.

    But there are issues with his intention to reinvigorate the law to compel every resident in the state to speak Igbo language and wear Igbo attire on Wednesdays. Whereas it may not be out of order to compel employees of the state government to speak Igbo and wear Igbo attire every Wednesday, extending the same measures to every resident irrespective of their mother tongue will create serious problems of implementation.

    It is also bound to infringe on their personal rights. There will be crisis if every state toes the same line just to preserve their language. Before now, the same state government had passed a law on the same matter.

    Tagged “Igbo Language Usage Enforcement Law 2009”, it provided for the enforcement of the learning, teaching and speaking of Igbo language both at home and in the Diaspora and making the study of Igbo language one of the general studies courses in tertiary institutions in the state.

    If the 2009 law is given practical expression together with some of the new measures enunciated by Obiano, the state would have gone at lengths to redressing some of the factors at the root of the decline in the speaking, learning and teaching of the Igbo language. For, much of the problems we encounter in this direction relate to the attitudinal preference of owners of that language to what is foreign.

    This inclination is traceable to the cosmopolitan nature of the Igbo man who can be found in the remotest part of the world. For him to survive and do his business there, he quickly masters the language of his place of domicile. Such has been their experience with the English language bequeathed to us by our colonial masters. If this attitude could be tolerated outside Igbo land, the scandal of children in the remotest villages and urban centres in Igbo states shunning the speaking of the language cannot be pardoned. Parents and the schools are to be held liable for this mess.

    Besides the actions or inaction of the owners of the language that militate against its survival, there also exist external factors that work against the flourishing of the Igbo language. This has to do with the attitude of people of other ethnic groups. Following the events of the last civil war, some people for whatever reasons, have come to treat those identified with that language with some suspicion.

    That accounts for why even people from some Igbo speaking states who are by no means less Igbo than others are regularly seen denying their Igbo identity even when all their names are Igbo. Some have even gone to the extent of inventing English alternatives for their local names. That is what you find in the present Rivers State. That is why you find recent names like Godknows, Godspower etc. If you ask those who go by these names to give you their local alternatives, what you will get is Chukwuma, Ikechukwu etc. Yet, they claim they are not Igbo. And one is tempted to ask, what are they besides the names they, their fathers and grandfathers bear? What are they besides the language they speak, the local dialect notwithstanding?

    Even with this pervading situation, many are still of the view that Igbo language and culture are still very loud and need to be tailored down for its speakers to live harmoniously with their host communities. In an article published in this column at the heels of the last tension-soaked general elections titled “fleeing for their lives”, this writer had looked at the penchant for people to flee to their ancestral homes at the least perception of danger and what such portends for national integration and survival.

    A legal luminary, Adeniyi Akintola SAN had in reaction, proffered solutions to this tendency. For him, “when you assimilate and integrate into the local culture without looking back into your biological origin, you blend easily and become one of the locals. A Yoruba man living in Enugu who takes delight in celebrating the Oro festival is courting trouble. Ditto an Igbo resident who loves celebrating new yam or Ofala festival in Lagos has wittingly set himself apart as stranger for the day of trouble”.

    For him, the antidote is to assimilate with the locals. Eat their food, wear their clothes, imbibe their culture and possibly religion; assume the local names, shun tribal associations and affiliations of ancestral homes. It is difficult to fathom where these fit in within the campaign to save the Igbo language and culture. But they have been highlighted to expose other dimensions of the challenge confronting the survival of the Igbo language and culture.

    Be that as it may, the efforts to save Igbo language and culture must be sustained. The Igbo radio station coming at the heels of plans by the BBC Foreign Service to broadcast in Igbo is most welcome. The survival of the Igbo language and culture is in the hands of the governments and people of the area.

    Through the various sensitization programmes; the teaching and learning of the language in primary and secondary schools, the decline will definitely be arrested. Anambra State must be commended for taking the lead in the campaign to save Igbo language and culture.

  • Can NBC regulate state-owned radio and TV stations?

    Can NBC regulate state-owned radio and TV stations?

    Sir: State-owned radio and television stations in Nigeria are beholden to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) by virtue of Sections 2(1)(b)(ii), 9(1)(a)&(6) and 14(2)(a) of the National Broadcasting Commission Act 1992, Cap. N.11, LFN 204. The provisions empower the NBC to exercise regulatory control over such stations. A detailed review of the aforesaid provisions of the Act is as follows:

    Section 2(1)(b)(ii):

    “The Commission shall have the responsibility to receiving, processing and considering applications for the establishment, ownership or operation of radio and television stations, including radio and television stations owned, established or operated by the Federal, State or Local Government”.

     

                Section 2(2):

    “No person shall operate or use any apparatus or premises for the transmission of sound or vision by cable television, radio, satellite or any other medium of broadcast from anywhere in Nigeria except under and in accordance with the provisions of this Act”.

     

    Section 9(1)(a)

    “The Commission shall, in the consideration of an application for a license under this Act, be satisfied that the applicant is a body corporate registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act or a station owned, established or operated by the Federal, State  or Local Government”.

     

    Section 9(6):

    “Any broadcast station transmitting from Nigeria before the commencement of this Act shall be deemed to have been licensed under this Act and accordingly shall be subjected to the provisions of this Act”.

     

    Section 14(2)(a):

    “There shall be paid and credited to the fund established pursuant to subsection (1) of this section such percentage of fees and levies to be charged by the Commission on the annual income of licensed broadcasting stations owned, established or operated by private individuals, Federal, State or Local Government”.

    Notwithstanding, the foregoing provisions of the Act, I believe that the commission is incompetent to regulate state government-owned radio and television stations in Nigeria. This is because by virtue of Section 40(3) and Item 66 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution, the National Assembly itself lacks the power to enact any legislation which purports to regulate such stations. For ease of reference, Item 66 of the Exclusive List provides that the National Assembly may legislate in respect of “wireless, broadcasting and television other than broadcasting and television provided by the Government of a State, allocation of wavelengths for wireless broadcasting and television transmission”.

    It is transparently clear from the foregoing that state government-owned radio and television stations are expressly excluded from the legislative powers of the National Assembly when it comes to regulating radio and television stations in Nigeria.

    The anomaly in the said provisions of the NBC Act vis-à-vis that of Section 4(3) and Item 66 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution is understandable when placed in historical context. This is because the Act preceded the Constitution, given that it was enacted in 1992, seven years before the 1999 Constitution. That said, however, by virtue of Section 315(1)(a) of the Constitution, the NBC Act – which the Constitution classifies as an existing law –  can only take effect as an Act of the National Assembly subject to two conditions: the first is that it’s subject matter is one in respect of which the National Assembly is empowered by the Constitution to make laws. Secondly, if there is any inconsistency between the Act and any provision of the Constitution, the Act needs to be modified by the appropriate authority (either the President or the National Law Reform Commission), in order to bring it into conformity with the Constitution.

    To the extent that the President (or the National Law Reform Commission) has not modified the said provisions of the NBC Act, 1992, to bring into conformity with Item 66 of the 1999 Constitution, they are ultra vires, invalid, null and void.

    It is imperative that effective action be taken to rectify the said inconsistency between the NBC Act and the 1999 Constitution. This can be achieved through an Executive Bill sponsored by either the President, the Minister of Information, or the National Law Reform Commission, seeking to amend Item 66 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the Constitution, in order to omit references to “State-owned radio and television stations” therein. Alternatively, the aforesaid provisions of the NBC Act may be amended to delete such references, i.e. to state-owned media, therein. Of the two options, I submit that – given our peculiar circumstances – first is preferable.

     

    • Barrister Abubakar D. Sani,

    Abuja.

  • The battle of F.M. radio stations

    SIR: The battle of the F.M. radio stations, especially in the South-west and specifically Ibadan is becoming not only more and more interesting but also comical. They spew out all sorts of slogan to boost their ego and increase their listenership.

    These claims include being the first in Nigeria, the first in the Western part of the country, being the most listened to in the world, being at the top of the ladder, and setting new standards in broadcasting.

    Unfortunately there is nothing much to write home about many of them. Their programmes are very similar, with many being copy cats. Their programming often coincides and their wavebands are so close that they sometimes overlap.

    There is a bright side to more F.M. stations however; the creation of jobs in the broadcasting sector.

    Unfortunately, there is also a downside. This is the falling standard of broadcasting. Pronunciations and sentence construction by many of the presenters are atrocious and very discouraging even amongst the so called popular ones. Many do not know the difference between “O” the alphabet and zero “0” the numeral when giving out telephone numbers.

    Nor do they know the difference between “t” and “th”. “Ask” is pronounced “axe”, “world” is pronounced “word”, “salt” is pronounced “sort”, “mother” is pronounced “moda” or “murder” and you hear “talkless of” instead of “not to talk of “ etc.

    Yes, it is true that English is not our mother tongue but do we have to murder it? Furthermore English is still a compulsory subject in WASCE and NECO and other examinations. Students writing these examination listen to these presenters and they can be adversely influenced and confused.

    The situation among the Yoruba and Pidgin English broadcasters/presenters is in no way better, and could be regarded as even worse. Many make no attempt to learn how to pronounce foreign (non-Yoruba) names and words.

    To worsen matters, their review of the dailies and presentation of special news or unusual happenings is no longer comical or funny. It has become obscene, obnoxious and insensitive. Or how else will you describe someone who jokes about people being raped (including minors) about kidnapping, about robberies, about disasters and mutilations?

    They describe these occurrences in graphic details with lots of embellishment and laughter. They are so insensitive but believe they are being funny. They show no human feelings, compassion, consideration or sympathy for the victims or their family.

    Are there no standards anymore? Who monitors broadcasting? Is there not supposed to be a Board of Control that can sanction?

    The days of Anike Agbaje-Williams, Kunle Olasope, Nelson Ipeya and other great and decent broadcasters appear to be long gone.

    I wish to appeal to the owners of these F.M. stations, and other radio stations to organize seminar for their staff on enunciation, elocution and how to conduct themselves on the air. Each station can lay down, monitor and enforce its own code of conduct. The standard of broadcasting should not be allowed to fall.

     

    • Dr. Bode Falomo,

    Oke-Ado, Ibadan.

  • ADEKUNLE GOLD’S PICK UP TOPS RADIO CHARTS

    YBNL signee, Adekunle Kosoko, better known as Adekunle Gold, at present at the top of his game. His single,Pick Up, according to reviews, has been rated as the most played song on radio.

    The declaration was made public by Play Data Charts. “This wouldn’t have happened without the support of all the Radio stations, media personalities and Djs playing my song steady. I appreciate every single person that requests the song on the radio as well. God bless you all,” the he enthused.

    The artiste, who is also gearing up for his new song, Gold, expected to drop this month, will be performing alongside his co-record label artistes at the Apollo Center on October 9, 2016 for the YBNL UK Concert.

    Adekunle Gold is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and graphic designer, whose face has been appearing on T-shirts and Caps recently.

  • Squadron rave, Chelsea success party returns on radio

    The popular Squadron Football Rave sports show is back with its 2016 edition, just as the Chelsea Spirit of Success Party is making the same March return, as one of the most exciting entertainment shows on radio.

    Host of Squadron Football Rave, Tito gives a new definition to Sporting- Infotainment, as he enjoins sports lovers to tune in, every Thursday, to Magic FM 102.5 Aba(8.30pm – 9pm),  Orange 94.5FM Akure(8.15pm -8.45pm), CRBC FM Calabar (9pm – 9.30pm), IRB FM 92.7 Benin(8.30pm – 9.00pm), Splash 105.5FM Ibadan (8.30pm – 9pm), Rhythm 95.7FM Jos (8pm – 8.30pm), Ray Power 100.5FM Lagos (9pm – 9.30pm), Hot FM Owerri(9pm – 9.30pm), and DBS FM Warri (9pm – 9.30pm), Ray Power 100.5 PH(8.30pm – 9pm)  and Beat FM 99.9 Lagos.

    Sponsored by Squadron Dark Rum, the show which started in 2013 has successfully run 91 episodes.

    Interestingly too, a brand new season of Chelsea Spirit of Success Party rebounds with three segments: the Music Hot 5, Entertainment Rollercoaster and Celebrity Spotlight.

    The show has featured stars like Waje, Zack Orji, Eldee the Don, OJB Jezreel and a host of others since debuting in 2013.

    Hosted by radio Favorites Tito Da.Fire and the fabulous Shine Begho, and produced by G2M Creatives, Chelsea Spirit of Success Party screens every Friday from 7pm-7.30pm exclusively on – Rhythm 93.7 Benin, Magic FM 102.5 Aba, Rhythm 94.7FM Abuja, Orange 94.5FM Akure, CRBC FM Calabar, Dream FM Enugu, Splash 105.5FM Ibadan, Rhythm 95.7FM Jos, Ray Power 100.5FM Lagos, Hot FM Owerri, Rhythm 93.7FM Port-Harcourt, Planet 101.1FM Uyo and DBS FM Warri.

  • JUDITH AUDU: I’ve always craved to be on radio

    JUDITH AUDU: I’ve always craved to be on radio

    Nollywood actress, producer and on-air personality, Judith Audu-Foght, has a lot going for her. Only recently, the award-winning actress wrapped up production for her first feature film, Just Not Married. The iGroove radio presenter also marked her first anniversary of being on radio in a ceremony which brought her fellow artistes together. She speaks with OVWE MEDEME on issues concerning her career and personal life.

    What has the past year been like?         

    It has been an awesome one year. I need to stress the awesome in capital letters. I wouldn’t say it has been a smooth drive, but everything has worked together to make the show, to stand it out. I set out to do a global show because it’s an online radio. It wouldn’t make sense just concentrating on Nigerian actors.

    I wanted to do a global show because it is online. Everybody listens to it around the world. For this one year, I have been able to do that. I’ve been able to touch Europe, I’ve touched the Middle East, I’ve touched almost the whole of Africa and the US. So, I’ll say it has been a successful one year.

    Radio presenting is a new frontier for you. How do you handle it?

    Yes, actually, it is. I love my voice. I love listening to myself talk. Some people love to look at themselves in the mirror. I record my voice and just listen to it and I’ve always craved to be on radio. I’ve tried several times to apply and get proper training for voiceover, because I do that too. I tried to get proper training for it but then, I applied to several radio stations but they want me to be there 24 hours of the day and as a full time actor, I can’t afford to do that.

    Acting is still my first love. The owner of iGroove Radio is a good friend of mine and when he wanted to do this radio station, he told me about it and I told him I would love to have a show on his platform. We kept on going back and forth about it. So, one day, I told him I was serious and he told me it was left to me to decide what I wanted to do. And then I came to the studio and he introduced me to the manager.

    So, I told him I have a blog where I profile actors. I would love to bring that on radio. On my blog, I only talk about up and coming actors, but now, I can talk to anyone who acts, whether veterans or up and coming, from all over the world. So far, I am really glad I made that decision because it has been an awesome ride.

    Does that mean you are putting the blog to rest?

    Not at all; it’s still there. I still profile actors. A lot of people really don’t get to have the visibility online that they need. I’ve actually done a lot of stuff but people don’t really know that.

    Not everybody has the opportunity to be on newspaper and big blogs so I try to use my blog as a platform to help sell them and blow their whistle. That way, people will know what they have done and what they are capable of. I don’t profile just anybody. Anyone I feature on my blog is someone I can beat my chest and say they can bring any character to life.

    What is next on the show?

    We are still a baby. This is just a year and I’m happy the way it turned out. I’m happy everybody turned out to celebrate with me. The show will continue. It will become better and bigger. We will feature more guests. We will touch more countries that we haven’t already touched. We had 48 shows and we featured over 70 actors from around the world. This is just the beginning of the bigger things for us.

    What was your highest moment this last year?

    I can’t really say because sometimes I bring in one actor. I have people I look up to in the industry, people I respect. I get really humbled when they come on the show and they say some really nice stuff about me.

    If I bring in someone my level, people will think it’s easy to say that, but when the likes of Bimbo Manuel, Carol King, Shan Goerge, Patrick Doyle, Ireti Doyle, Segun Arinze, Kunle Afolayan, or Keppy Bassey Ekpeyong say things like that, they motivate me and encourage me to want to forge ahead and even take on bigger things. That has been the highpoint so far; of being able to bring in pioneers of Nollywood to the show.

    You recently wrapped up production of your first feature film. What was the experience like?

    I have been saying this and people think I’m just saying it. This is the smoothest production I’ve ever been in. I wouldn’t say it’s because we did a very excellent pre-production because we made sure everything was in place. We knew we didn’t have the funds to have even one hour extra. So we did a lot of pre-production. We broke everything down and made sure that everything was the way it was supposed to be.

    And everything, thanks to God, went to plan. Even the day it rained, we didn’t let the rain stop us from shooting. We created a scene for the rain, shot inside it and everything worked for us. I am really thankful. I’ve been in some productions that we started and then they had to break sets because they are cash strapped or something happened. I’m so happy that we were able to shoot according to schedule. Everything was good, nobody fell ill. We didn’t shoot at night. It was a very smooth sail and everybody is proud of the work and they are all waiting for it to come out. It’s in post production now. Hopefully, it will be ready to screen in December.

    What are your plans for the film?

    Definitely, we will be taking it to festivals; we will be putting in for awards. It will be showing on big screens. We have a lot of plans for it. We are hoping to penetrate everywhere we can to get the film out there so that everybody can see it. It is a unique story. It is something very simple, but then it has this twist that people don’t see coming. And it’s something that will question you and make you think.

    With all these activities, are you leaving acting for a life behind the camera?

    As I said earlier, acting is my first love. But I see myself being drawn to producing a lot which is funny because a lot of people complain about it. But I love to have the power to be able to break things down and make a script come to life.

    I love the power to be able to choose a script that I want to bring to life. That is what a producer does. When you give a producer a script, the producer decides whether to make it or not to make it. I love that. It gives me the opportunity to be able to tell different stories, to be able to tell a lot of stories that probably I wouldn’t have been able to tell before as an actor. Because as an actor, someone gives me a script and I help them tell a story.

    But as a producer, I now have the power to get a script, tell a writer this is the script I want and then I bring it to life. Of course, we still have the challenge of funding which I think is every producer’s nightmare. Funding is the biggest challenge to me. If I get money, there are lots of things I can do, but funding is a problem.

    Have you tried putting in for the Bank of Industry’s grant?

    Yes, actually, I have applied for it. That is still ongoing because my company is still a baby company. That is why I am hoping when my first feature film comes out, it would be something that will make people have trust in my capability. I already have a lot of people approaching me to co-produce with them.

    So, yes, things are looking good. So I am not abandoning acting. Acting is still my first love, but whatever I do is still within the playground of what I love doing. So even if I can’t be in front of the camera acting, I really don’t mind being behind the camera producing.

    In all of these, how do you find time for yourself and your family?

    I hate being bored. So that’s why I like trying things out. I have a load of books that I’m reading right now. I’m trying to train myself on the proper art of filmmaking and producing because it is a different terrain I’m stepping into. I need to understand what it entails; I need to understand the business of it. If you understand just the creative part and you don’t understand the business part, you will be at a loss. So I’m reading a lot of books. I find time for my family. I find time to chill with my husband. We go out, see movies and eat good food.

    What is your favourite hangout spot?

    That should be the Lagos Yacht Club because of the water. I love being close to nature, just having that natural breeze. It makes the creative mind just run wild.