Ali Abare, Gombe
The Technical Committee set up to re-organise Gombe Media Corporation has recommended for the separation of the radio and television arms of the organisation for maximum productivity.
Presenting its report, on Wednesday, to Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, chairman of the technical committee, Mallam Ahmed Aminu, said the Gombe Media Corporation, which operates under one management, has created gaps brought about by the marriage of convenience.
Aminu said the separation has become necessary in view of the fact that modern broadcast stations operate based on competition, which subsequently leads to productivity.
The committee, therefore, recommended that when the corporation was eventually disbanded, separate managing directors should head the Gombe State Television and the Gombe State Radio as this would create employment opportunities and promote professionalism.
The committee, while noting that the current laws establishing the Corporation lacks consistency and does not clearly take care of the structure of modern broadcast, also called for a new law and organogram, because the old ones do not conform to modern broadcast structure.
“The scheme of service of the Gombe Media Corporation is full of duplication of responsibilities which is in turn promoting redundancy,” the committee recommended.
The committee also observed that the low productivity and lack of professionalism in the Gombe Media Corporation were due to the posting of non-broadcast staff to the corporation, lack of adequate professional training, while the current location of the stations does not fit modern broadcasting house.
It called for the urgent removal of the current mast, which the committee described as outdated and which pose a threat to the inhabitants of the neigbouring Orji Housing Estate.
Other recommendations of the committee are installation of full broadcast industries standard internet access, as well as the setting up of an implementation committee to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations.
Responding, Governor Dankwambo pledged that the government would not delay in implementing the recommendations of the committee, as soon as it studies the report.
Dankwambo however promised the non-broadcast staff of the Gombe Media Corporation, that the government would ensure that none of them loses his job during the restructuring, but that they would be redeployed to other sectors of the government.
It would be recalled that the Gombe State Government constituted the technical committee last year to restructure of its media corporation for greater service delivery to meet the information and communications needs of the people and impact upon the comprehensive development thrust of the government.