The Nation Newspaper

Tag: RADIO

  • Artistes turn up as Judith Audu marks one year on radio

    Artistes turn up as Judith Audu marks one year on radio

    it was a day of joy for award-winning actress, movie producer and OAP, Judith Audu-Foght as her radio programme, Meet the Actor wit Judith Audu, which airs on iGroove Radio, clocked a year last Saturday.

    To celebrate the day, the actress brought together those who have been featured on the programme in the past one year for an anniversary edition.

    According to the entertainer, “it has been an awesome one year, and 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 stand 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. For this one year, I have been able to do that. I’ve been able to touch Europe, I’ve touched the Middle East, and I’ve touched almost the whole of Africa and the US. So, I’ll say it has been a successful one year.”

    The anniversary edition saw past guests featured on the show fielding questions from the actress as well as from listeners. To mark the day, the actress feted her guests to light refreshment after cutting her anniversary cake.

    Among those present at the ceremony was her fellow actress, Ashionye Raccah who incidentally was the guest of the maiden edition of the show. She had kind words for Judith.

    “I am happy for her. I didn’t even know I was going to be the first guest till I came on the show. She had invited me the day before and I accepted her invitation and came on the show. It was a nice experience. It’s been a beautiful one year because I’ve heard the show a couple of times. For someone who didn’t have formal radio training, she is doing an awesome job and I’m very proud of her,” she said.

    Meet the Actor wit Judith Audu is a radio programme which looks into the lives of actors and what makes them tick.

  • First women radio hits the air

    First women radio hits the air

    The much anticipated women-inclined radio station; WFM 91.7, began broadcasting last Monday, with an ovation that witnessed several callers felicitating with the owners and operators, St. Ives Communications.

    The broadcast which kicked off at exactly 6:00am apparently got listeners prepared, following several advertisement on the gender radio, centered around women and the family.

    Callers praised the initiative, which many say is the first-of-its-kind in Nigeria, and perhaps in sub-Saharan Africa.

    As the voices of the station’s OAPs hit listeners’ receivers, excitement rend the air as the likes of Abisola Grace Aiyeola, Funmi Jinadu and Bolatito Bez Idakula unveiled programmes to expect in the coming days, while also interacting with callers on the station’s 91.7 frequency modulation (FM) channel.

    Listeners have praised the station for clear reception, urging the operators not to relent in their offerings. The signal was described as clean and clear.

    According to Bekky Solaate, a resident of Alausa, Ikeja Lagos, “it is as if they (WFM) are right inside my living room. The signal is so clear. I think the station has a great future.”

    Promoters say the WFM 91.7 is operating on the very best and latest in broadcast technology, manufactured by Clyde Broadcast, a Glasgow, Scotland-based world renowned radio broadcast equipment manufacturer.

    Another listener who simply gave her name as Rebecca, called in from Shagamu, Ogun State could barely hold back her excitement. “I congratulate your station for this achievement. So we women now have something we can call our own. I thank God for this,” she said. When asked to comment on the station’s signal in her location, Rebecca replied: “It’s loud and clear here.”

    A couple of other callers including male listeners attested to the clarity of the station’s signals across several locations mostly in South-West Nigeria.

    Notable brains behind the niche radio include Dr. Babatunde Okewale, Chief Medical Director at St. Ives Specialist Hospital, Lagos and veteran broadcast journalist, Toun Okewale Sonaiya, Executive Director at St. Ives Communications and Managing Director of the broadcasting outfit.

  • Radio Biafra: The urgency of now

    SIR: Not too long ago, the public was awash with the news of a terrestrial radio station with an FM bandwidth airing in most parts of the South-south and South-east states. Popularly called Radio Biafra, it is allegedly run by a foreign-based Nnamdi Kanu who goes by the nom de plume, Director. This station began as an internet radio station and had few followers until it somehow found its way on terrestrial radio with a tune-in frequency. Since the last general election, the station has been known to spew inciting statements, calling for violence against certain ethnic groups in the country and canvassing for secession from the Nigerian state. One would have thought that with the monster the Boko Haram sect has become today and the headache militant agitations in the delta region gave us few years back, some useful lessons would have been learnt by the Nigerians state on this particular issue by abruptly putting an end to the brains behind Radio Biafra.

    The question on the minds of many is why now? There is no answer to this other than the fact that some elements feel or believe the last election was a gang up by some regions against the other and as such must openly express their grievances even if it meant inciting others to violence. When Kanu portrays the Nigerian state as a “Zoo” and the people living in it as “animals” or gives a sense of belonging to a people he calls “Biafrans”, charging them to unequivocally reject the 2015 election, we surely need not take such diatribe with kid gloves. At a time when we are still battling the monster called Boko Haram and having just in the last four years put an end to militant agitations in the delta region, all we need now is the peace rather than another monster rearing its ugly head in the East.

    We must not take it lightly that a radio station operating illegally in Nigeria has first broken the rules of engagement. Knowing full well that quite a number of the radio’s growing followers which include traders, village dwellers, school children, commercial bus drivers etc., are not in tune with the realities of the past and present, it is likely we may have much trouble to contend with sooner if nothing is done now. It is not clear what Kanu wants and how he intends to go about his secessionist aspirations but hate speeches, inciting violence and calling for secession will never do much to bring his dreams to reality. While it is understandable that the last election had bred a level of regional dissatisfaction, it however, shouldn’t be a reason for using egregious narratives to fight the Nigerian state.

    The authorities must begin to act fast and take a firm stand on Radio Biafra and all its promoters. The station is a ticking time bomb that may explode if we do not nip it in the bud. Now is the time to act before we have yet another destabilising monster on our hands.

     

    • Raheem Oluwafunminiyi,

    Lagos.

  • Why Kanu’s Biafra radio must be stopped

    Ever since former President Jonathan lost the presidential elections on March 28, which some of us knew he will never win based on the facts that we all know and the statistics available, majority of Igbo have been unhappy and angry. They have been cursing and abusing the President and APC leaders wishing that President Buhari never existed and APC never formed. Many of them have been so frustrated after the elections that they are now looking for a way to get back to the APC controlled federal government.

    Now, one Nnamdi Kanu who has been dreaming about the State of Biafra has provided a space for them to vent their anger. Some of them have joined him to wish for the State of Biafra. Suddenly the so-called Radio Biafra has created a momentum for them. On facebook I have watched with a keen interest what these guys dish out on daily basis in the name of fighting for Biafra. They tell blatant lies, create havoc, make terrible noise, abuse other Nigerians, and preach unimaginable propaganda and hate that at once put Igbo land in potential danger. I have been waiting for the South-east governors to speak up but they have maintained a deafening silence that suggests complicity. I have also waited for our elders to call him to order but nothing has happened. With the so-called Radio Biafra, he has unleashed an unimaginable trailer-load of lies and potentially dangerous propaganda that has put Igbo nation in danger. It is now 45years after the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War and I think that the Igbo must rise up to stop this man who never saw the 1967-1970 Civil War and who may not know the implications of what he is doing. He has never consulted anybody to seek his opinion. He has been speaking to the gullible and not too educated people in Igboland, and very soon these uneducated people will take a dangerous decision that may decimate and destroy Igboland. Soon our people will start complaining that they were not consulted. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed.

    Woe betides a nation whose leaders are children. If we elders do not talk about this evil, posterity will never forgive us. Let us speak out and if these children do not hear us, then it should be on record that we spoke. About a month ago the barrage of lies and uncontrolled propaganda Radio Biafra dished out everyday drew the attention of NBC which asked Nigerians to stop listening to this useless radio station.

    Now here are compelling reasons why Igbo must remain in Nigeria in their own interest. The Igbo fought a civil war of self determination between 1967 and 1970 and lost about one million people. This should be taken as a huge price for the unity of this country. Having paid this monumental supreme price I think Igbo should work for the unity of this country based on social justice, equity and fair play.

    Moreover, Nigeria has three major ethnic groups: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. The Hausa/Fulani has Hausa people stretching all through the Sahel to the Sudan. They are mostly Muslims and they have contact with the Arab world. The Yoruba nation has Togo, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone and even up to Brazil and Cuba to run to where their kinsmen are. Igbo nation has no outlet anywhere in the world where the language is spoken. Therefore they must see Nigeria as where they belong and work for its survival.

    Nigeria provided a big space for Igbo to spread their tentacles, explore, excel and blossom. South East is too small for this highly mobile and dynamic people to thrive. The world pays attention to Nigeria today because of our size and population. If Nigeria splits into smaller countries the world will pack their bag and baggage and leave. Population and size make a nation a destination.

    Assuming we manage to get a State of Biafra, which state in the South-east will produce the first President? When Enugu State was created, the late Governor C.C Onoh sacked all the civil servants and teachers from Anambra State. Recently former governor T. A. Orji of Abia State sacked workers from Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States. Now how can we manage Biafra with this attitude?

    The Igbo control 60-70% of all the imports in Nigeria and other Nigerians, Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, Ijaw, Efik, Birom, Tiv, Idoma etc provides huge market for Igbo mobile and big time traders.

    Monumental inter marriages between Igbo and Yoruba and other ethnic groups have thrived for close to 70years now that we cannot just dismiss all these with a wave of hand.

    Igbo own huge and massive investments in property in Lagos and Abuja, and other state capitals in Nigeria. Now are you going to wish all this away?

    Other Nigerian cities have provided safe haven for Igbo as places to run to cool off whenever self inflicted crisis arise or other problems. When kidnapping became a way of life in the South-east, our people moved to other parts of Nigeria to settle. Now where will Igbo go when confronted with these problems in Biafra?

    How can Igbo thrive without their Lagos and Abuja or Port-Harcourt? What happens to all their connections and relationships in these places?

    Can someone tell Nnamdi Kanu that wars may be fought for 50 years and people will die to achieve Biafra? The war may even consume Nnamdi and all the members of his family and millions of others without achieving the purpose.

    We have been so inter-married, interwoven, intertwined, inter-related that the idea of separation may not be encouraged. I do not want to lose my friends from the other parts of Nigeria for anything.

    I can go on but there is no need to continue to do so. We must be strong enough to stop this  old problem of looking down on people who are different from us. This is the problem of Nigeria. Nigeria’s diversity is a big plus for all of us to excel. United we stand, divided we fall. I confess that Igbo have not played better politics in Nigeria since 1970 and that has been our bane. Anytime we want to change bad leadership in the country, Igbo as a block will resist it. It happened in 1993 and we lost everything. In 2015, Igbo were at it again but forces of history prevailed. Igbo can do better than this.

    However, I want Nigerian leaders to show leadership by carrying all Nigerians along in distributing power and resources. If there is no justice, there will be no peace. If there is no peace there will be no progress. Let justice prevail. Let us be fair to all concerned. If the truth must prevail and it must prevail, Nigeria has not been fair to Igbo since the end of civil war. They tell us that there is no victor and no vanquished but in actions and deeds, the victors are still celebrating and enjoying the spoils of the war while the defeated are still languishing in abject neglect. For instance, of all the six zones in Nigeria, only the South-east has five states. We have found solace in all these because we have found out that those who are still oppressing the Igbo in Nigeria are not better. We also take solace in the findings of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council that all acts of indignity against human persons, against human society debase the perpetrators more than the victims.  It is not that the offended cannot forgive but have the offenders repented? This injustice must stop now for the sake of unity of this country.

    • Igbokwe writes from Lagos

  • Hitlist N Cruzin goes on radio

    Popular television music show, Hitlist N Cruzin, is set to now air on radio. Presenter of the show, Mursty Adninoyi, disclosed this in an interview with The Nation.

    Hitlist N Cruzin, an entertainment programme celebrates Nigerian musicians and gives viewers an opportunity to win a shopping cruise.

    However, Adinoyi said that while the TV version takes winners on a shopping cruise that would not be on radio, the radio version would be a bumper with latest songs, news and gists.

    “Of course, you are going to have the latest, hottest, freshest music from Nigeria and abroad, entertainment gists that you cannot get anywhere else, so much, so much that we cannot have on TV, you’re going to have on radio,” Adinoyi said.

    He said the radio version of the show was borne out of the need to expand the brand.

    “I understand that the best way not to fall is to keep on moving, and to keep moving, you have to keep diversifying, keep expanding,” he said.

    “And when you look at expansion, radio should be part of our expansion an entertainment production company.”

  • Radio Nigeria, why?

    SIR: As a student of mass communication, I have been taught to see fairness, objectivity, balance and accuracy as qualities journalist’s should display in reporting or addressing issues, most especially, those issues that involved two or more persons.

    After the acceptance speech by President Jonathan at the PDP National Convention, held at IBB Square Abuja, Radio Nigeria kept playing back his acceptance speech after each hour of the network news broadcast. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of its broadcast of the acceptance speech of the opposition party (APC) Presidential candidate, retired General Muhammadu Buhari. Not even once was the speech broadcast.

    Fairness in journalism mean treating issues involving two or more parties without bias or partiality while balance is giving of equal treatment to parties involved in an issue. I don’t want to talk about accuracy and objectivity because fairness and balance seemed to be more suitable to use in respect to the issue I am addressing.

    Looking at prominence or preferential treatment Radio Nigeria is giving to PDP leaving out APC, can one say that Radio Nigeria which claims to be the largest radio network in Africa, with claims to uplifting the people and uniting the nation, is being fair and balanced?

    Why is Radio Nigeria uplifting and uniting PDP only? Despite the fact that PDP is the party controlling the present government and that the government is in charge of the station does not mean that Radio Nigeria belong to PDP. Radio Nigeria is for all Nigerians, whether PDP or APC, rich or poor, Christians or Muslims, short or tall and so on.

    I want to implore Radio Nigeria and other media houses in the country to, as the matter of responsibility and necessity, take into cognizance the four most pronounced qualities of journalism profession: accuracy, objectivity, fairness and balance in carrying out their assignment.

    • Awunah Pius Terwase

    Benue State Varsity, Makurdi

  • Alao-Akala floats radio station

    Alao-Akala floats radio station

    Former Oyo State Governor  Adebayo Alao-Akala has established Parrot FM, the first private radio station in Ogbomosho, his hometown.

    Alao-Akala, speaking at the inauguration of the station,  said it was established to fill the communication gap in the area.

    He added that a television station would soon be established.

    The former governor had, last month in Ibadan, the state capital, launched his bid to return to the Agodi Government House next year.

    His son, Olamijuwonlo, who is chairman of the station, said it was established to facilitate information dissemination to the people.

  • Liberty Radio: Loud and clear at two

    A childhood dream of owning an entertainment outfit by a maritime expert gave birth to what is today known as Liberty Radio, the fastest growing radio station north of the Niger. Located in the serene, but high brawl Ungwan Rimi area of Kaduna metropolis, Liberty Radio has cut a niche for itself in its short life span bringing in its Guest of the Week programme, personalities from across the country who have aired their views on controversial issues such as the state of the nation, among others.

    General Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Dr. Doyin Okupe, Asari Dokubo, Bamanga Tukur and Prof. Attahiru Jega, among others have appeared on its programme to air their views unedited.

    Today, many regard the station as the voice of the opposition even though its slogan is “voice for all”. Being a station owned by a founding member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State, many had expected that the station will shut out members of the opposition parties or at least moderate their views on issues.

    The style of operation of the station almost landed it in trouble with the Kaduna State government recently when there were attempts by agents of the government to short it down or muzzle its operations. Chairman of ATAR Communications, owners of Liberty Radio, Alhaji Tijjani Ahmed Ramalan told our reporter that it is wrong to say that the station is a voice for the opposition.

    He said: “We are not voice of the opposition. But like our slogan says, we are voice for all. We give voice to the government, to the opposition and to the masses. We are carefully studying the situation of what is happening in the north today.”

    Defending the station’s style of operation, he said further: “Let me also say that some of those who are pro-government or who are in the PDP have confronted me with this same issue; accusing us of giving voice to the opposition and I have always told them that is not correct.

    “Most of the guests on our programmes are from the academic community. Unfortunately, those from the PDP, when we invite them to the station, they speak like those in the opposition. I have even approached top leaders of the PDP to give us names of their people who can be our regular guests and they gave me names. “Unfortunately, six months after, only two of them have been able to appear on our programmes. Some of them call me privately saying you have forgotten the post-election violence of 2011? Do you want me to come and speak in favour of the PDP or Jonathan so that the masses will come and burn my house? I think it is the general political temperature in the north.

    “So, it is not true that we are favouring the opposition, but those that come for our programmes; whether from the academic community, from the opposition or from the government, are always free to speak their mind. We have brought the National Chairman of the PDP to this station more than four times. So, those who are accusing us have realised that because of the situation in the north today, those who are pro-government are even shying away from coming out to speak for the government.

    “So, we are a voice for all and it is our editorial policy which we intend to guard jealously. To answer your question that is what makes Liberty Radio thick and even the government has realised that we don’t mean bad for them and that has kept us going.”

    Two years after commencement of broadcasting on January 1, 2011, the station has already won two different awards. First was the Gangaria Award as the Best FM Station in Kaduna State in 2012 and recently, the Best Radio Station in the North at the 4th Nigeria Broadcasters Merit Award.

    General Manager of the station, Toyin Alabi told our correspondent that the awards in such a short time came to them as a surprise. Alabi said: “In fact, it came to us as a surprise that after only two years of broadcasting, that Liberty Radio was noticed and nominated as a potential award recipient. Even more surprising was Liberty Radio being awarded the Radio Station of the Year North 2013 in the midst of several stations that have been there long before we came on board.” Ramalan, however, said that it is not the number of years that matters, but the quality of what the station dishes out to the public.

    He said: “Even though we are still an infant as far as broadcasting is concerned, the success story of the Aljazeera of this world gave us inspiration. So, it is not how many years you have been in the industry, but what you are able to dish out. That is why we are proud that our listeners and the industry are appreciating the little we are doing.

    “We did not even know that Liberty Radio was nominated for any award and the voting actually started long before we got to know. It was during one of my visits to Abuja that one of those nominated informed me about our nomination. So, we announced on both our Hausa and English belts that Liberty Radio has been nominated for the award; all our listeners started voting including our online listeners.

    “As at the end of November, we had about eight million listeners and so, when we won the award, I was not surprised. Initially, I was scared because we were grouped with radio stations in Abuja, but our target right now is to be the best radio station in the country.

    “We are, however, aware that this means additional hard work and as a radio station, we will not take anything less than quality. One of our female presenters was nominated among the best female presenters in the north and we are really proud of her for that.”

    Ramalan, who resigned his membership of the ruling PDP in May, 2012 to concentrate on running the broadcast media outfit after assisting the government in sanitising the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) before its privatisation said he decided to quit politics because he did not want anything that will affect the station.

    “You can imagine if I remained in politics, someone somewhere is bound to view what we are doing in Liberty Radio as anti-party and that is what I don’t want. We are voice for all and we want to be able to operate freely. Right now, even those in government have course to call and say thank you because we have put in place programmes that give voice to the people.

    “Every Friday, we have a programme dedicated to the people; where they can praise, criticise and advise government accordingly. This has been quite helpful because through the programme, the government get to know the feelings of the people and address the complaints,” he said.

    As at the last count, Ramalan said, the station’s online listeners have hit the eight million mark, even though it had serious challenges at the beginning that almost aborted the dream.

    A wrong advice from those who are supposed to know and a collapsed tower under construction almost marred the dream of establishing the station in the first place. After spending over N40 million in putting up a place for the station, they were denied approval to hoist their mast in the Kurmi Marshi area of Kaduna because of its proximity to the Nigeria Air Force.

    However, while under construction, the 105 metres tall tower imported for almost N50 million from South Africa collapsed on the station’s property forcing them to import another tower from the United Kingdom.

    Ramalan said they decided to get an imported tower to avoid a situation where it will collapse. The fuel subsidy strike of January 2012, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the station.

    While other stations in Kaduna were closed, Liberty Radio was operating; giving residents of the state regular update on the strike across the country thereby earning the confidence of the people. The station, according to its owner, is looking forward to being the best radio station in the country.

  • Abuja radio to boost 2015 election coverage

    The Nigeria Info FM station is counting its successes at one year of broadcasting, even as it plans to dedicate most of its programs to massive political education of Nigerians towards the 2015 general elections.

    Head of the station, Uche Victor Nwaneri, told journalists during the anniversary of the radio station in Abuja , that from the year 2014, the station would commence the journey to salvage the country from political misfortune in 2015 through its dedicated programs.

    He said that they were pleased with the reach by the station and the acceptance it has earned within the past one year, stressing that they would consolidate on these gains to achieve their dreams of a sound political and economic environment for the country.

    Nwaneri stated that the station was covering over 17 million listeners presently, adding that they’ve got the software to show the extent to which people hooked up to the station at every five minutes.

    He assured that they would continue with balanced information while holding the politicians and other stakeholders accountable towards a successful 2015 elections and proper administration of the country, which was the role of the media.

  • Radio documentary series on Port Harcourt @ 100

    A radio Documentary Series initiated by Port Harcourt-born filmmaker, writer and photojournalist Tam Fiofori, to commemorate the centenary of the creation of Port Harcourt by the British colonial government in August 1913; is being produced in partnership with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria South South Zone – FRCN SSZ and, in collaboration with Treasure FM Port Harcourt.

    The first segment of the series, History and Geography is to be aired on August 30; to coincide with the exact date 100 years ago, when the British named the newly-built port.

    Port Harcourt which in its 100 years of existence has been the capital of Owerri province, the Garden City of Nigeria, capital of Rivers State and oil and gas capital of Nigeria; was built by the then Governor General of Nigeria Lord Lugard; specifically to evacuate coal which had been discovered in Enugu in 1909 to Britain and, named in August 1913 after the then British Secretary of State for the Colonies Sir Lewis Viscount Harcourt.

    According to Fiofori who is an internationally-acclaimed award-winning filmmaker, writer and photojournalist, “Port Harcourt’s illustrious history and growth into an international megacity which now attracts people from across the world needs to be properly commemorated at 100 years. Port Harcourt has produced some of Africa’s and the world’s best academics, sportsmen and women, musicians in various genres, poets, writers, dramatists, beauty queens as well as become an international economic and industrial centre. It has gone from being the Garden City of Nigeria to the Energy Capital of Africa with a very promising future!”

    The major segments of the radio documentary series on Port Harcourt at 100, are History and Geography; Arts and Culture; Sports; Transport Hub; Oil and Gas; and Business and Commerce. The programmes would be broadcast on the Network service of Radio Nigeria Abuja in addition to Treasure FM Port Harcourt, Bronze FM Benin City and Atlantic FM Uyo.

    This important radio documentary series is targeted at over [80] million listeners across socio-cultural, political and economic groups in Nigeria, as well as an equally large number of local and international listeners who access via the web stream. In addition, a book entitled Port Harcourt @ 100 will be produced from materials gathered for the radio documentary series and relevant photographs, visuals and maps.