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Acute Power Shortage Hits Northern Nigeria’s Foremost Radio Station, FRCN Kaduna, As Stakeholders Cry Out


The Oasis Reporters

 

June 29, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

FRCN Kaduna.



By Bello Mohammed, Kaduna



The foremost radio station in the entire Northern part of Nigeria based in Kaduna, once famous and so powerful that practically every part of Nigeria could tune in and listen to it’s broadcasts that had a wider reach than it’s counterparts in Enugu, Ibadan and later in Benin-City even before Nigeria’s independence in 1960 seems to have been brought low, not only because of competition from later day Frequency Modulated (FM) and Internet stations that dot the landscape, but by electricity supply challenges.



Whereas this is an era of round the clock broadcasting in a majority of radio stations worldwide.



The sharp voice of the once proud station has been humbled by the shortage of power supply.


It is believed that if all the power that it needs is supplied to it by the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, all the stations’ advertising revenue would be insufficient to pay the bill.



The station is therefore calling on the federal government to give priority attention to it’s media organizations by ensuring adequate funding for sustainable information flow.



A cross section of FRCN Kaduna listeners who spoke with our Reporter in Kaduna expressed disappointment over the incessant power disconnections of the station by the Kaduna electric distribution company.



They noted that the disconnection is getting too much as such, something needs to be done urgently to address the situation.


One of those who spoke, Musa Mohammed Kawo observed that the Radio station has paid it’s dues in view of it’s contributions to the unity and religious harmony not only of the northern parts of the country but also the country as a whole.



According to him, despite the challenges being faced by the station it still has a role to play in enlightening and educating the citizenry on government policies and programs, as such shouldn’t be allowed to collapse.



Another listener Mal. Abdullahi Zaria who commended the minister of information and national orientation for his various interventions on the issue said a lot still needs to be done in addressing the problem.




Similarly another listener Bello Soba said he was surprised to tune in to the station today to find it off air because of disconnections by KEDCo and called on the authorities concerned to take decisive actions against the occurrence of the situation.



Our Reporter in Kaduna reports that this is the fifth time the station was being disconnected over the problem of electricity bill payment in the last one year.



Additional reporting by Greg Abolo.

Greg Abolo

Blogger at The Oasis Reporters.

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