The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Sunday charged the practitioners and operators of radio stations in the country to be the vanguards of societal values through the promotion of
peace, unity, harmony, love and affection among the people in the society.
He said the time has come for journalists to rededicate themselves and do away with divisive and chaotic tendencies in discharging their duties.
Aregbesola made the statement during the official commissioning of the Oodua Radio Station, in Ile-Ife, Osun state.
The Governor admonished the radio practitioners on the need to champion fairness in discharging their constitutional responsibilities in the society.
He said media practitioners must avoid sensationalism just as they are required to promote accuracy, balance and objectivity.
Aregbesola said radio stations must at this hardship times do all they could to support the government’s efforts in promoting innovative and technology-based ideas to move the nation forward.
Identifying the importance of radio to man’s life, Governor Aregbesola described radio as the best, faster and populous medium of information dissemination.
He condemned in its entirety the way and manner at which some media practitioners have been bastardizing the profession on self-serving interests, saying if not that his government has developed thick flesh, some media practitioners would have succeeded collapsing his government with evil antics and incitement.
Governor also bemoaned over the unprofessional conducts of some radio station’s practitioners and operators, saying “the time has come for journalists to be at the forefront of nation building and do away with subjectivity, favourism and personal emotions.
Commending the owner of the broadcasting station for his productive vision at establishing the station in the state, Aregbesola disclosed that with the establishment of the new station, Osun is now a host to four private radio stations.
He called on the management of the station to always employ precautionary measures in all its activities and not wait until being sanctioned by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) before being regulated.
Aregbesola further urged the authority of the station not to allow itself to be hijacked by the disgruntled politicians who according to him, derive pleasures from self-serving interests.
“My advise for the owner and the entire management of this station is to use the medium wisely to promote peaceful coexistence among the people in yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole.
“Please do not politicise your activities in this radio station. Let this establishment be for the promotion of the highest values and ethos of yoruba people.
“Strive to let this station be for the promotion of peace, harmony, love and affection among Nigerians especial yoruba people.
“Shun any divisive tendency and use this station for educational purpose. Use it to promote our culture and balanced entertainment.
“Also, use this station to promote industry, productivity and efficiency as these, will go a long way in rescuing our society from the current recession we are all in.
Aregbesola called on the residents of Ile-Ife and its environs to avoid using the new station to cause violence, crisis and chaos, but rather, they should see it as a medium to further seal peace and unity of Nigerian people.
“The management is further urged to stick to the government’s efforts at advancing innovative, technological and inventive knowledge that have been the hallmarks of our government”, he stressed.
Lamenting on the depleting state of the nation’s economy, Aregbesola hinted media practitioners to design programmes that would quicken the recovery of the nation’s values and socio-economic and democratic loses.
He said media should endeavour in sensitizing public on the current economic predicaments through educative and informative programmes capable of orientating the general public on the need to be productive and take-off their minds from crude oil revenues that have crashed.
The Southwest Zonal Director, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mrs. Pauline Ehusani, called on the management of the new radio station to reflect on their performance the quality of truthful and fair journalism.
She tasked the station on the need to prioritise objectivity, accuracy and correctness, saying radio station must always be a medium of knowledge acquisition.
Ehusani, who represented the Director General of the Commission, implored the management of the station to always act within the constitutional frameworks of their profession and as well avoid anything that can make the station deviate from the NBC’s rules, guidelines and regulations.
“Let fairness and balance be your watchwords as the station starts to perform its roles in educating, informing and orientating the public on the happenings in the world”, she added.
Earlier in his welcome address, the owner of the newly established radio station, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, said the station would be the mouth piece through which the gospel of unity, love, peace and harmony of Nigerian people would be preached.
He promised that the newly commissioned radio station would perform its constitutional roles to re-echo the noble call of peaceful coexistence of the Nigerian people.
Makinde, a former National Assembly member in Ife Federal Constituency, described the commissioning as the birth of a hub of professional unbiased broadcasting in Nigeria.
According to him,”the people of Yoruba kingdom, the state of Osun, the Ifes and its environs as well as the entire Nigerians are today blessed with quality and non-politically motivated broadcasting”.
He promised that the station would do all it could to ensure perfect performance of its responsibilities with quality and effective broadcasting.
He added, “Oodua Fm is open to all to give the general public the required quality broadcasting and let me assure the National Broadcasting Commission that we shall do all our best to conform with the rules and regulations as spelt out by the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.
“Though we are not perfect as human beings, but we shall always bring to you quality, truthful, reliable and fair reporting that will promote the unity of Nigerian people.
“Broadcasting, the breath of Nigerian society, the navigator to Nigerian people, an industry with various talents, a market that only the special voices trade in, and the traders in this very special markets are regarded as “Mirror of the Society”.
“Likewise, since broadcasting industry indeed avail us the window to redirect and inform our populate in many ways, hence it places enormous responsibilities expected on us to encourage this in our society.
He added, “We are open to constructive criticisms and correction, in togetherness we shall positively influence our environment.
Makinde therefore, called on the radio practitioners to come together and make broadcasting more informative, educative and entertaining as the gate keepers.
Meanwhile, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi who was represented by Obalufe of Ile-Ife, Oba Idowu Olaniyi Adediwura and Father of the Day who doubled as Asiwaju of Ile-Ife, Chief Alex Eluyemi, eulogized the owner of the station (Rotimi Makinde) for his contributions towards human and capital developments in Ifeland.
They described the new radio station as another means of promoting socio-cultural values of yoruba people, saying “the station would avail the people of Ile-Ife, Osun and Nigeria the opportunity to further foster the existing peace and harmony”.
The duo therefore commended Makinde for being committed to all around empowerment programmes.
