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News Headlines
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Written by Administrator
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By Nasir Imam & Abubakar Yakubu
Apprehension appears to be the order of the day at Aso FM radio over a letter from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) asking the management of the station to wind up operations in October. Workers of the station yesterday wore gloomy faces and were directed by their management to stay at home until further notice as mobile policemen took over the premises of the station.
City News learnt that the owners of the station, FCDA, submitted a letter to the stations management asking them to wind up operations within one month.
It was also gathered that a letter to that effect, signed by the executive secretary, was delivered to the managing director of the radio station last Wednesday morning before the departure of the former for an official trip to South Africa.
It would be recalled that Aso FM radio, which has been providing skeletal services for sometime now, was raided by armed robbers last Sunday who carted away money and documents from the Katampe Hill radio station.
When City News visited the radio station, workers were seen wearing sober looks and bemoaning their fate, as they discuss in groups, while the heavy presence of security men was noticed, obviously to deter workers or outsiders from fomenting trouble.
Some of the staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were not convinced that the raid on Sunday was by robbers, as, according to them, the management staff may have organised the raid to hide relevant information as a result of the winding up directive.
The staff pleaded with the FCT authorities to rescind their decision in the spirit of the Ramadan period and the past achievements of the station.
€œThis appeal for a stay of action to wind up Aso FM is imperative considering the Ramadan period and the fact that the radio station is the only one that broadcast tafsir from the National Mosque as well as other Ramadan programmes. We also call on the FCT minister to look at our past achievements as once upon a time, Aso FM was a powerful station that could be heard loud and clear in more than 10 states, they said.
They urged the minister to help reorganize the place rather than close down the station and throwing workers into unemployment market.
Aso FM radio station, commissioned in May 1999 by the Gen. Abdulsalami administration, recently lost its former managing director, Mal. Mahmud Hassan, who died in a plane over Egypt on his way to Saudi Arabia to receive medical treatment.
When contacted, the present MD/CEO, Mal. Mohammed J. Imam, was not available to confirm the incident, as some of the staff said €œour agitated boss, like all of us, have not been himself since receiving the winding-up instruction letter.
The public relations officer of the FCDA, Richard Ndul, when contacted, confirmed the closure but said it was a temporary measure, and the senior special assistant to the FCT minister was not available for comments, as she was said to be attending a meeting.
Daily Trust, September 22, 2006
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