Broadcasting
Govt to Shut Down 22 Radio Stations
Oyo State Government has disclosed that no fewer than 22 private radio stations that are operating without approved building plans in Ibadan, the state capital, would soon be shut down.
It also stated that over 1,000 structures on the waterways, flood prone areas and other risk sites and those without approved building plans have also been listed for demolition.
It declared that other structures; abandoned and dilapidated buildings constituting security threats to the people of the sited areas and the state in general were also among those billed to be levelled.
Alhaji Waheed Gbadamosi, Director General, Bureau of Physical Planning and Development Control stated these while addressing a press conference at the film theatre of the state ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism on Tuesday.
Gbadamosi who frown at the inability of the media houses to get approval from the appropriate agencies in the state, informed that most of the residential structures turned to
commercial ventures especially in Ibadan would soon be asked to pay high fine/fee for doing such.
He said: “Over 22 radio stations don’t have approved building plans. They are more than 22 of them. They don’t have building plans. Most of them turned residential buildings into commercial ventures.”
The DG, who said that the government has decided to take necessary actions to close the radio stations down, also informed that the case has been brought to the attention of National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, for necessary actions.
He said the need to take legal action and exercise patience before the closure was necessary so as not to see the close as a political tool in waging war against the media in the state.
According to him, “When we want to close them down, we know it may create some security threat, we have brought the case to the NBC for necessary actions and sanctions.
“They have converted residential buildings to commercial ventures. Such development is going to bring and attract vehicular and human traffic to the area, is there plans for that?
“If you change your structure from residential to commercial, you will pay N25million fine/fee.
“The laws have to be obeyed, people must conform, you cannot see a white man and start a construction without a building plan.
“By the time we imposed a very huge fees, it will serve as a deterrent to others.”
Gbadamosi then declared that over 1,000 structures have to go due to documented building plans.
He said: “The state government is going to do a thorough demolition; over 1,000 structures are to go if you don’t have a valid building approval.
“We are ready to transform Oyo State within the short period that is left.
“You have a lot to report, those of you in the papers, you have a lot to report and you
will sell your papers, and those of you in the electronic media, you have a lot to report.”
Gbadamosi added that abandoned buildings and dilapidated structures in the state capital are also on the list of structures due for demolition due to the security threat they constitute for the people of the state.
“There are so many abandoned buildings and dilapidated structures in the state, they are constituting security threat to the people of the area. You know they are abode for miscreants and they have to go,” he said.
Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) has established six committees to help strengthen and modernize the country’s broadcasting industry.
The committees will focus on content creation, skills development, digital transformation, sustainability, policy and commercial opportunities
The initiative aims to support industry growth and improve collaboration between broadcasters, regulators and media experts
The official launch recently, was led by Tony Akiotu, president, BON and attended by media professionals, program directors, former journalists and heads of specialized media organizations.
The event brought together several prominent figures in Nigeria’s media industry, including veteran broadcaster and trainer Bimbo Oloyede, Tony Uyah of M4S TV, Kingsley Uranta of Channels Television, Ismael Sani of Platinum TV and Ibrahim Shehu of Trust TV.
Together, they are expected to help drive innovation and support the growth of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector.
According to Akiotu, the committees are intended both to help shape industry policy and to provide a forum for dialogue between BON and broadcasting experts.
Akiotu said the ad hoc committees were intended to strengthen BON’s work and ensure that the umbrella body for Nigeria’s broadcasters played a more direct and meaningful role in developing the country’s broadcasting sector.
The six committees reflect the sector’s main priorities. The first focuses on collaboration and innovation to promote content creation.
The second is dedicated to training and talent development, while the third focuses on industry sustainability by improving the sector’s long-term financial viability.
A fourth committee will focus on digital transformation and work with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on regulatory issues.
The remaining two committees will oversee public policy advocacy and the development of sports and commercial rights to help broadcasters increase revenue and attract more investment. Together, the committees are expected to guide BON’s efforts to modernize and strengthen Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
The committees, chaired by members of BON’s General Assembly and supported by the organization’s Secretariat, have an initial 12-month mandate that may be renewed if necessary.
They are required to submit a progress report within three months and implement approved recommendations within the following six months.
The arrangement is intended to ensure close oversight and the timely implementation of their work.
Akiotu also reminded committee members that Nigeria pioneered television broadcasting in Africa and urged them to carry out their work with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says it is investigating about 34 tertiary institutions over allegations that they failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television.
Sawyerr said the agency had deployed a five-member investigative team, including operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and internal auditors, to examine the allegations.
According to him, the investigation was prompted by numerous complaints received from affected students.
“As of right now, there are 34 institutions that we are looking at closely with respect to this issue,” he said.
Sawyerr explained that the double payment issue arose because President Bola Tinubu directed that the student loan scheme commence in the middle of an academic session instead of at the beginning.
He said the decision compelled many students to pay their tuition fees to meet registration deadlines while awaiting approval of their loan applications.
“What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment; some from the students and some from us,” he said.
“The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that is obliged to make refunds to the students.”
The NELFUND boss noted that many students had borrowed money from family members, friends and other sources to pay their tuition with the expectation of receiving refunds once the loans were disbursed.
He said while some institutions had promptly refunded affected students, others had failed to do so.
“Some have been very good at this. Others haven’t been so good at it,” Sawyerr said.
“I reserve judgement on the intentionality around it because, for some of them, they just didn’t have the process to make refunds.”
Sawyerr disclosed that NELFUND was exploring a tokenised payment system that would enable students to authorise tuition payments directly to their institutions, thereby reducing the likelihood of duplicate payments.
He said the agency deliberately chose not to disburse tuition loans directly to students to minimise the risk of fund diversion.
“Paying the funds to the students could really lead to the temptation for them to divert and do other things,” he said.
The managing director, however, acknowledged that NELFUND lacked the statutory powers to compel institutions to refund students or prosecute officials found culpable.
He added that many frustrated students had submitted complaints not only to NELFUND but also to anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Sawyerr also expressed concern over increases in tuition fees by some institutions following the introduction of the student loan scheme.
He said NELFUND had declined to pay institutions that increased their tuition fees beyond acceptable levels.
“Some schools, because they get paid easily, started to put up their fees. We refused, point blank, to pay institutions who had hiked their fees beyond a certain level,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to investigating every reported irregularity and strengthening the implementation of the student loan programme through continuous monitoring and internal reviews.
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