Nigeria: Promoting community broadcasting as tool for social services

IN line with the clamour for community broadcasting in Nigeria, the Coordinator of the Raymond Dokpesi Centre for Media Development, Mr. Christopher Ebuetse, has emphasised the need to ensure that the third tier of broadcasting maintain its profile as tool for social service.

Ebuetse, who stressed that community broadcasting is very important because information is knowledge, information is power, said “ignorance will always under develops a nation.

“We must see how other private stations run in other developed countries of the world like America, Britain and Germany. We should also study the role government plays on issues of community broadcasting. Running a television organisation is capital intensive and there is no way that community TV can survive, given the cost of running the station in Nigeria.

“If community television is seen as social services to the people, then there must be a pragmatic programme of sustenance. It is difficult to set up a T.V station and to run it is even more difficult. We must prepare well for it.”

He however argued that to step up broadcasting in the country and be the envy of people around the globe, a level playing ground must be created for every operator, both public and private.

“The advent of private media championed by the High Chief, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi brought revolution in the broadcasting industry. His coming into the industry was by storm and he created a new order, with such revolution, in an evolving broadcasting environment, one must and should expect barrage of challenges to confront the industry. Most Nigerians have not woken up to the dawn in broadcasting.

“The government also, may be because we are coming from a long period of military rule. But the future is bright. Nigeria is an environment that is rich in activities; rich in industry, commerce, politics, governance, and these are what broadcasting feast on. The entertainment industry is also growing, and with this, the industry can often produce content.”

On the Centre’s programme of activities this year, Ebuetse mentioned Raymond Dokpesi Annual Lecture scheduled for September as top on the list.

The topics and the speakers are: Democracy, a catalyst for economic advancements, national development and peace, to be delivered by Abia State Governor, Theodore Ahamefule Orji; the role of women and youths in national development, by Senator Folashade Grace Bent; and Security is everybody’s business by Mr. Paul Obanua, Chief Executive Officer, GreenField Asset Limited and National Co-coordinator, Mass Interest Project. The father of the day would be Alhaji Bamaga M. Tukur, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“This year, we intend to award deserving political administrators with the Raymond Dokpesi Peace Award. The award will be for governors in the six geo-political zones of the country. The issue of conflict, sectarian crisis is no longer new, but there are states that have been able to hold their own. States that we do not hear bombing, kidnapping, armed robbery, in each of the geo-political zones would be honoured. The award is unique and relevant at this very time when we are grappling with security situation in Nigeria,” he disclosed.

Another highlight is the Raymond Dokpesi Endurance Trek “for peace and that Nigerians should believe in their country. Wanton destruction of lives and property should stop. The trek is for everybody, people from different walks of life. It is a trek to preach unity, peace and development.”

The trek, as a prelude to the lecture, according to Ebuetse, “is to dilute the intellectual nature of the lecture, by placing what the lecture is about before the ordinary man in our streets. This is why cobblers, mechanics, are also involved in the trek.”

He said arrangement is being perfected to also carry out police and public initiative campaign before the end of the year. “We have forwarded our proposal to the Inspector General of Police and we hope they collaborate with the Centre on what we intend to do.

“The Centre will equally present to the universities books emanating from the Raymond Dokpesi Annual Lecture. The books are rich for research by students studying Humanities, Political Science, Law and Mass Communications. This is our own way of capacity building.”

NIGERIA: Govt targets $136m revenue from cassava export to China

NIGERIA’s economic diversification drive may inch towards realisation soon, with plan by Federal Government to export one million tonnes of cassava chips to China, beginning from this month.
The export business is expected to bouy the nation’s earnings by $136 million (N22 billion).

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina made this disclosure in Umuahia, Abia State, on Wednesday, during the inauguration of the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme, a critical component of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.
The scheme was scripted as an innovative approach to fertiliser subsidy administration through an electronic system, which ensures that only registered farmers’ benefit.

“Nigeria will earn $136 million just this year as a result of this exportation and this is happening for the first time in our history”, Adeshina said.
The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to embark on measures that would boost the capacity of farmers in the country.
He added: “We must use cassava to create a whole lot of things and that is why we must double our efforts on cassava cultivation in this country.”
He also disclosed that the government had approved funds for the empowerment of farmers in Abia.

“The Federal Government will be providing the sum of N35 million to provide improved cocoa seedlings to cocoa farmers in Abia”, adding that eight varieties of hybrid cocoa had been released for onward delivery to farmers and that 25,000 pods would be distributed to farmers in the state free of charge.
“The average yield we are getting today from cocoa is 0.4 tonnes per hectare; the yield of the new cocoa hybrid will give you two tonnes per hectare and that means you will get five times the yield you are currently getting.”
“Each cocoa farmer will also get the approved fungicides and cartons of insecticides.”
He applauded the contributions of Abia as the largest cocoa producer in the South East geo-political zone.

The minister commended Chief David Onyenweaku from Abia, acknowledged as the country’s largest individual cocoa, saying ``it is because of people like this that the Federal Government is encouraging farmers”, he said.
Meanwhile, participants at a workshop on the processing of cassava grit for poultry farmers in Nigeria have given assurance that processors have the capacity to meet local and international demands for the product.
A cross-section of the participants said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria that the price of the product per tonne would also drop drastically from N50, 000 to about N26, 000.

Mr. Philip Ajomiwe, who was the facilitator of the one-day workshop, held at his processing plant in Oriendu near Umuahia, said that cassava farmers and processors would produce enough to meet the need of poultry farmers.
Ajomiwe, who is a cassava grower and processor, said that farmers and processors would intensify efforts to meet the Chinese demand for 2,000 metric tonnes of dry chips.

He thanked the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, for initiating a number of policies that would revolutionise the nation’s agriculture.
He explained that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture recently organised a training workshop at Enugu for farmers and processors in the South-East, where they were tutored on modern techniques of cassava processing.
‘’This is just one part of many initiatives by the minister to drive President Goodluck Jonathan’s agricultural transformation agenda through the value chain approach,’’ Ajomiwe said.

He explained that the workshop, which was organised at the instance of the agriculture ministry, had 10 participants (trainer trainees), who were expected to train other processors and prospective ones in their respective areas.
He said that the participants were taken round different processes, beginning from weighing 200 kg of cassava tubers to the grating and mechanical drying to produce 100 kg finished grit. ’’