The only broadcast outfit owned by the Kogi State Government which most people in the state depend on for information from government has been off-air since Tuesday this week.
DAILY POST gathered that, the station does not get adequate power supply.
Generator which is the reliable source of power by the state owned radio station could not be fuelled due to lack of funds.
The government from our findings prefers to patronize some national television stations, thereby neglecting its own.
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To worsen their situation, it was further gathered that, the state radio station has been barred from receiving monthly impress from the state government.
Investigation, however, revealed that, the Director General of Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation, Alhaji Ojo Oyila has been fuelling the station’s generating set from his own pocket, and he could not sustain it due to the present economic challenge in the country.
A source who confided in DAILY POST described the development as very unfortunate and pathetic bearing in mind that many Kogites need information, especially now that Nigeria is battling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Equipment like transmitter, generator, computer and studio facilities used by the state radio station based on our findings, are currently obsolete.
A resident of Lokoja, Mohammed Lawal said, “The radio is not supposed to go off-air now that schools are under lock and key and teaching programme has been put on hold.
Mrs. Kemi Ojo, on her part said the radio station needed to be funded to broadcast for at least 18 hours daily.
“If what I’m hearing is true about how Radio Kogi has been working, then the management must have been performing miracle to be on air.”
As at the time of filing this report, the radio station is still off-air but a top management source who never wanted his name to be mentioned claimed that their absence from the airwaves since Tuesday was due to technical hitches.
He assured that, the station would be back on air later this Friday.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK