Tunde Razaq Adebayo
I was posted to serve my father land in the year 2016, in Edo state, as a fresh graduate from University, and with my love for adventures, I chose kaduna, oyo Abuja and Edo as my preferred states for the one year compulsory service. My prayer request on a daily basis then was to get to serve in Edo state as I have programmed my self of having my basic elementary schools in north central/ south west, while I had my advance studies in north western state. My choice to serve in south south or south eastern part of the country was enable me have basic firsthand knowledge of all the regions in the country. I served in Edo state, after the good, bad and the ugly aspects of the camp I got posted to NTA Uzairue in Etsako west local government.
It was a sweet experience as I have to adjust many things about my ways of doing things, but as a hustler who has always been on Nigeria road in search of knowledge, I adjusted my self and was fit into the system as a corp member serving with NTA.
The news room was not a bad one, the staff were coordinated, and it was not a bad experienced serving with a supposed number one TV station in Africa.
It was my first outing with the state, even though I have been in the field of journalism but not for broadcast, I got to study the in house style and the basic things that I needed to know to ensure I give in my very best.
As a trained communicator, who has been to several newsrooms within the country, my first challenge there at NTA was that at the age of globalisation, paper were still used to write stories, which I found so frustrating, as it would have been so easy if a mail can be put in place that a reporter can drop their stories in, get it edited and reply via mail before proceeding to the next level.
But no issue, since NTA now has the highest contract and casual staff in the country as it has been observed that many of the retirees who have been on the job even before the lads came into existence are still in NTA, redundant, halting new ideas and innovation that can move the station forward.
For me I wonder what the likes of Cyril stober, kudu Abubakar, Baba Barau and host of others are still doing with the network of NTA after a publicly celebrated retirement, they still stay back in the system hence holding the future of future communicators to ransome.
It’s not bad to utilize old traditions and talents to hone young and aspiring broadcasters, it is utterly condemnable to that most of these old staff are not adding much value to the station except financial burden. New and emerging journalists were not receiving necessary training should in case the old are weary, irrelevant and dead. What of in the cases of inevitability of the death? the job will suffer?
What will I even talk about a station that budgeted for new equipment and store it in the ware house to be rusting, only for the self acclaimed biggest TV in Africa to deploy best coverage equipment to the offices of the big wig in the country.
Yes we know it is a sycophantic machine for the government but still, we can do better, as it will not be too bad to take a clue from frontline television stations in the country, such as channels, TVC, core TV and host of others.
The content of NTA is nothing to write home about at least Edo substation. Aside from the need for content creation, most best hands in sister media organisations have been said to be youths, it won’t be out of place if those that have served the country through the station for decades to go home and rest in order to allow the young ones to develop in the job.
It is no more news that the station has since lost its viewership due to several sabotage efforts of some unseen hands and the traditional and archaic ways of broadcasting that are being guarded by the old “guys”.
Its high time for the federal government to flush out those that have served the system, yet still go back in the name of casual and contract, for better operation in the national broadcaster. How can a country that have millions of graduates roaming about the street, yet a station is still recruiting retired staff as contract or casual without necessary, attendant supporting staff from aspiring, ambitious youths?
We can’t be solving 21st century problems with 15th century solution. it is high time the service dislodged the retired hands and allow professionalism, productivity and fortune to befall the station through ambitious, hardworking and talented young people from the pool of younger generation of Nigerians.
razaqtunde@gmail.com