Page 23 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2013
Basic HTML Version
“
arranged an almost 24 hour relay of
their programmes. We need to
develop a culture of Africans
trusting their own media sources
for information, and this can only
happen if we have an independently
run public broadcasting system and
also allow privately‐owned
broadcasters to have their say. We
also need to strengthen community
broadcasting in Nigeria – I believe
the relevant authorities are dealing
with this issue. Radio stations are
ubiquitous in Nigeria, we have all
the sources of information.
The authenticity and uniqueness
of information will come from
Africa first before it comes from the
BBC or China Radio International.
What's the outlook?
My wish is for VON to be a truly
independent organisation which is
governed by professionals,
administered by a board of trustees
that is appointed by parliament,
representing different interest
groups in Nigeria. Most funding
must come directly from parliament
and from radio and TV licences. I
want to see VON as a credible
medium and a source of reference
for other broadcasters. And this is
what I believe can be achieved.
We should encourage the
emergence of more and more
private broadcasters. Private
broadcasting does not necessarily
mean independent broadcasting
but I believe we can strengthen the
regulatory mechanism so that
private broadcasters can thrive in
an atmosphere that is devoid of
government control, political party
influence or influence of private
interests. The days of one big
broadcaster or two big broadcasters
for one nation are gone
forever.
The days of the African
ʹBig Manʹ are also gone – the
fact that the psyche and the
face of the African leader is
changing should also reflect
broadly on the overall landscape,
including the media landscape
of Africa and Nigeria. Itʹs a
hopeful picture.
Abubakar Jijiwa, MFR,
thank you.
trying to sign agreements with FM
stations in Africa. Right now we
have signed agreements with three
stations in the Republic of Niger to
rebroadcast our Fula/Fulfulde,
Hausa and French services.
We also signed a deal with an
FM station in Ghana for English
and Hausa. We are looking at the
Great Lakes region – DR Congo,
Uganda , Kenya , Tanzania ‐ to
promote our Swahili service. We
hope the 2013 budget will give us
enough funds to do a lot more in
this respect.
Which audiences do you target?
Our focus is Africa but we also want
people outside Africa to listen to us
– seven to ten million Nigerians live
in the diaspora. VONʹs ultramodern
transmitting station and its rotating
antenna, located at Lugbe, Abuja,
were commissioned in 2012 so now
we can reach any part of the world
at the touch of a button.
Nigeria was the first country to
start TV broadcasting in Africa in
1959 and we aim to be the continentʹs
leaders in broadcasting. We now
receive letters from listeners across
Africa and as far afield as Japan,
China, the Philippines, Malaysia.
We have just commissioned a major
international research company to
monitor us over the course of a
whole year and give us feedback on
our strengths and weaknesses in
each region of the world.
Private
broadcasting
does not
necessarily
mean
independent
broadcasting
”
How is VON using mobile?
In Nigeria fixed telephone lines
have virtually collapsed completely.
The mobile is the major device for
communication in all parts of
Africa. VON is already using the
mobile phone for news‐gathering
by our correspondents all over the
world, but it is also in the pipeline
to use the mobile phone as a
platform so that people can listen to
VON on their mobile.
Who do Africans turn to in a crisis?
I am not ashamed to say that if
there is a big problem in Nigeria
and indeed Africa, most listeners
will probably turn to foreign
broadcasters. This is still a legacy
from the many years of military
rule when we had a system that did
not allow freedom of the press and
consequently people tended to
listen to BBC and other foreign
stations. We are working hard to
make sure that now with the arrival
of a number of private radio
stations Nigerians begin to have
more confidence in their own
media. I think this is already
happening. Even though reports by
Voice of America, Deutsche Welle,
BBC and so on, on Africa, may be
true and may be correct, these
reports lack an African perspective.
Everyone knows the Chinese are
also entering Nigeria and the rest of
Africa in a big way. In many
countries the Chinese have
FOCUS
|
THE CHANNEL
THE CHANNEL
|
ISSUE 1 2013
|
23
