Scores of workers of the Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday protested against alleged bad work environment and lack of workers’ welfare.
The workers, comprising those from Radio Kwara and Agbata Yakuba FM stormed and blocked the main gate of the head office in the Government Reserved Area, Ilorin, the state capital.
They also shut down the station, sang songs to convey their feelings and displayed placards with different words.
Some of them read, ‘Radio Kwara is Kwara State’s Heritage, It Must Not Die,’ ‘Radio Kwara is for Social Service. Don’t Commercialise It,’ ‘Radio Kwara needs modern equipment, We have Competent Hands.’
They decried working in poor environment without modern equipment. They also alleged that many times, snakes terrorised them in the studios.
According to them, the ongoing repositioning of the station had left much to be desired.
The Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Kwara Radio chapter, Alhaji Bashir Jimoh, said the state government had made many unfulfilled promises to address their grievances.
He said, “We only have management, but our management is managing nothing. They do not have a say in the management of the corporation. We do transmit, but after an hour, we shut down. We do not have enough diesel and other necessities for uninterrupted broadcasting. We want government to come to our aid immediately.”
It was gathered that the workers of the Herald Newspapers, belonging to the government, also downed tools.
But the Sole Administrator, Kwara State-owned Media Houses, Dr Muyideen Akorede, said the stations had resumed operation.
He stated that the government was committed to addressing the needs of the workers.
Akorede said, “The government is re-equipping the state owned media houses. The government will address the concerns of the media houses belonging to the state. The government has procured modern equipment to beef up the operations of the stations. The government has released N5m to the state-owned media houses, comprising Radio Kwara (N2.5m), Herald (N1m) and Kwara Television (N1,5m).
