The state of the state owned media houses which is said to be in comatose, SaharaReporters reliably gathered, has continued to forced workers into unplanned strikes to press home their demands for a more better working environment and equipment, but these the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and the state commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah, have vehemently refused to pay attention to.
Four years gone, yet no succour for the near moribund Delta state owned media houses, outfits, Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS), Asaba, (DRTV), Warri and the Pointer Newspapers, Asaba, which staffers and Deltans have described as a big shame to an oil rich state like Delta that has always topped the lists of highest receipt of federal monthly allocations running into hundreds of billions of naira with nothing to show.
The state of the state owned media houses which is said to be in comatose, SaharaReporters reliably gathered, has continued to forced workers into unplanned strikes to press home their demands for a more better working environment and equipment, but these the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and the state commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah, have vehemently refused to pay attention to.
Expressing their dissatisfaction over the manner governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the information commissioner, Patrick Ukah have neglected and abandoned the state owned media houses, management staff, have carpeted the state governor and the commissioner for wasting billions of naira on what they called "irrelevant" things that have no direct economic values in the state rather than giving the media houses a face lift.
"The Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led administration, no doubt since inception has channeled several billions of naira into other facet of government yet the state owned media houses remain a mirage. Every now and then you see governor Okowa rolling out millions of naira paying to private owned media houses for live coverage of events while leaving the two state owned media houses go into extinction. The two stations can not boast of Outside Broadcasting Vans (O.B Vans) used for live events, but rather will spend millions to hire private owned media houses for live coverage of events in the state.
"Despite all the out cry by Deltans from every nooks and crannies, governor Okowa and Ukah seems not to be interested about the state owned media houses. After four years, the three government media houses are still in comatose, still in shambles, still in slumber and horrible working condition, you see us staff complaining here and there, suffering from bad working environment, what a big shame and disgrace to an oil rich state like Delta.
"Is this not shocking to hear that a whole DBS, Asaba and Warri still go out to hire cameras to carry out their official duties. In the News department, a full broadcasting outfit like DBS, Asaba, and Warri, there are no vehicles, studios in a very terrible and disarray state where cut and nail jobs are carried out and the governor and the commissioner seems not bothered. The state government can not beat its chest to tell Deltans that actually they really mean well for these media houses." one of the management staff lamented.
Another senior staff of the station in Warri who does not want her name mentioned stated that "The equipment been used in DRTV in Warri are now obsolete compared to the current modern standard of broadcasting. A visit to AIT, Channels, and Silver Bird Television Stations in Lagos , you will agree with me that Deltans deserve more than a befitting media houses looking at the monthly federal allocation accruing to the oil rich Delta state. The Pointer Newspapers, DBS Asaba and DRTV Warri are gradually going into extinction.
"It is a big shame that for a state like Delta blessed with enormous human and material resources, cut and nail works are still been carried out in its TV and Radio stations even the Pointer Newspapers and the workers work in a very terrible environment or are you talking of several days the Radio station will go off the air and upon all of these, Okowa and Ukah feel unconcerned.
"It beats ones imagination if actually the Okowa's government really knows all what dissemination of information is all about or the vital rolls of government owned media. On August 27, 2018, Delta state clocked 27 years and in this digital and computer age, the state cannot boast of standard media houses to showcase its activities, what a big shame and disgrace.
"What a disgrace and big shame to Ukah that when Deltans were expecting that his appointment would at least bring succour and face lift to the state owned media houses, after four year in office the state of the POINTER Newspapers, DBS, Asaba and DRTV Warri have become worst. Every year millions of naira is budgeted for the three media houses, yet the failed and inexperienced commissioner, Ukah, cannot give the stations a life line."
Also condemning what they called "deliberate and wicked" abandonment of the state owned media houses, a cross section of Deltans noted that governor Okowa "who was busy procuring unmerited awards from media houses, both the print and electronics, wasted several hundreds of millions of naira of tax payers money all in the name awards while the state owned broadcasting outfits suffers. Ukah is incompetent, not fit to be a commissioner in the first place.
One of the aggrieved station's staff who pleaded for anonymity bemoaned what he said "Since inception, Okowa as a governor, has never visited any of the media houses. Records have it that he has borrowed well over N200 billion and still counting, and just within a week, the state house of Assembly granted for him over N10 billion loan requests which he has claimed are meant for projects, leaving out the almost dead broadcasting houses.
"In four years, Okowa and Ukah could not raise the profile of the near moribund DBS Asaba, DRTV Warri and the Pointer Newspapers. Ukah is a disappointment, in four years he could not write his name in gold in DBS Asaba and Warri and Pointer Newspapers. I call on governor Okowa never to appoint the likes of Ukah into position of responsibility in his second tenure."
Meanwhile, the leadership of Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) and the Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union, RATTAWU of the Delta Broadcasting Service, Warri, has dragged the state commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah to the state house of Assembly over what the two unions described as near collapse of the broadcasting house and alleged embezzlement and connivance to kill the stations.
In a strong worded petition entitled "Subject Of Petition: Near Collapse Of Delta Broadcasting Service, Warri, And The Urgent Need For Government Intervention To Salvage The Station", addressed to the state house of Assembly through the chairman, House Committee on Information, signed by Isaac Oboh, chairman, (RATTAWU), Sonia Unobunjo, chairman, (NUJ), DBS Warri and other union officials, lamented the bad working condition and lack of working equipment in the station.
The petition which was obtained by our correspondent, revealed that the state lacked protective equipment such as thunder arrestor, functional air conditioners, outdated or non-availability of relevant technical equipment as well as appalling staff welfare condition, accusing the state information commissioner, Patrick Ukah of complicity as well as aiding and abating the forces militating against the progress and growth of the station.
The petitioners however prayed the house to among other things "Ascertain the complicity of the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, in the wrong doings in DBS Warri. He is alleged to be in custody of the station’s Outside Broadcast Van (OB VAN) parked at his official residence in the Commissioners’ Quarters, Asaba.
"That, the State Government investigates why despite the budgetary allocations approved by the State House of Assembly to the station through the State Ministry of Information, and the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, DBS Warri cannot compete favorably with other industry players. Look into the continue reign of Mr. Tunde Omonode as General Manager of DBS, Warri, despite the expiration of his tenure as it has affected the station negatively.
"Investigate why the recommendations of the DBS Warri Board of Directors that indicted the General Manager, Mr. Tunde Omonode Igrammar, for theft of the properties of the station was swept under the carpet.
Call for the immediate removal of the General Manager, Mr. Tunde Omonode Igrammar for gross incompetence, mismanagement and lack of focus to advance DBS Warri to meet up with modern broadcasting trends.
"The redeployment of the Head of Accounts/Finance Department, Mrs. Augusta-Gold Okoro. As the financial expert of the station, she has over the years acted as a ready tool for the financial recklessness and fraud in the station. It is on record that due to her dubious financial integrity, she has had running battles with past General Managers of the station that did not succumbed to her whims and caprices.
"A typical case in question, was her running battle of supremacy with a former General Manager of the station, Mr. Willy Sowho, which culminated in her transfer by the then Board of Directors to DBS Warri Marketing office in Lagos. In that particular case, she was transferred based on her indictment in a Seventeen Million Naira (N17, 000,000.00) fraud.
"Immediate restructuring of the Accounts/Finance Department to reflect the corporate interest of the station rather than a particular family spearheaded by the HOD, Mrs. Augusta-Gold Okoro."
Following the petition, the Delta state house of Assembly has summoned the state information commissioner, Patrick Ukah. In a letter signed by the committee clerk, Ogana Oge, on behalf of the House Committee on Information, obtained by our correspondent, directed Ukah to appear before it on Monday, 15, April, 2019 at 12 noon at the committee room 1, to explain his complicity and the degenerating state of the state owned media houses.
As at press time, calls and messages put across to the state commissioner for information, Patrick Ukah, were not responded to while his media assistant, Sammy Ijeh, who was also contacted declined to comment saying he is not capable to comment to on such sensitive issues and promised to reach out to his boss on all the issues raised.