By Gbegbe Sunday.
Dr Ramatu Tijjani, Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory at the event
The Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Dr Ramatu Tijjani, has said radio should be used as a vehicle to put an end to youth restlessness and criminality in the territory.
The Minister stated this during the commissioning of AMAC community radio with frequency 88.5 FM in Karshi, Abuja .
Dr. Ramatu Tijjani called on the people of Abuja Municipal Area Council , to make use of the radio to promote small and medium business enterprises in the area.
She explained that the station was conceived by AMAC Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu Candido, to serve as a tool for the education of the people, promote a common understanding of prospective traditional cultures, particularly for communication, entertainment, information and revenue generation.
Dr Ramatu said as a grassroots media platform for people everywhere, community radio has become popular in recent years to open new avenue for people to be involved in developmental programmes and to bring governance closer to the people.
In his remark, Abuja Municipal Area Council Chairman, Candido, said that the community Radio is a community partnership project, which will assist the council as its supervisory body, to bridge the information gap and further bring governance closer to the people in the area.
He explained that the radio has been licenced by the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to transmit on the assigned frequency and powered with 250 Watts to cover Karshi area and part of Nassarawa State.
The AMAC Chairman also requested the approval of the Minister on behalf of the Traditional Institutions in the Council, like Chief of Jiwa, Sa’ Peyi, Karshi and Karu, to upgrade them to first class Chiefs for administrative purposes in the territory.
The Director General, National Broadcasting Commission, Mallam Balarabe Shehu, who was represented by Mrs Francisca Ayotu, a Director in the Commission, said that the community radio is not a profit making organisation, not political, non religious organisation, to develop the community with 70 percent local contents, noting that the management of the station should organise orientation seminars for volunteers and staff of the community Radio for better service delivery.
Members of organising committee and Education Secretary, AMAC, Hajia Maryam Ibrahim Baba, said she was happy having a community radio in AMAC, which will bring more development to the people, adding that the AMAC community radio will be useful to locals in creating enlightenment, educational awareness and information at the grassroots on the happenings in the Abuja Municipal Area Council and Nigeria at large.
