Unilorin to begin community TV broadcasting ― VC

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, on Tuesday said the institution would soon start television broadcasting that would be unprecedented in the history of community broadcasting in Nigeria.

The vice-chancellor stated this on Tuesday at the 10th year anniversary of Unilorin 89.3 FM held at the institution

He said that the move to commence television broadcasting would be possible because of the success of the university’s radio station.

“We can again be another trailblazer in campus television broadcasting, thereby adding extra value to the social, cultural and educational experiences of our students and that of the people in communities around us,” he said.

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He noted that the university was already on the verge of getting support for the initiative.

According to him, the university radio station has ethically and tenaciously promoted excellence in the institution and the community.

“Today’s occasion is also a celebration of those who brewed the idea, planted the seed of the idea and nourished the idea to blossom to the glowing, the flamboyant and fruitful stage we are celebrating today.

“I must say proudly that the steadfastness, purposefulness and professionalism with which our campus radio set the pace in campus radio broadcasting is worthy of celebration today,” Abdulkareem said.

He observed that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had challenged many campus radios for not fulfilling the objectives for which they were established.

The vice-chancellor, however, said that the university’s radio station had adequately fulfilled the objectives for which it was established and had also abided by the terms of licence given for its operation.

He also said it had immensely helped in the training of students across various departments in the university.

“It has produced new talents through the opportunities it has been consistently providing for students to learn in practical terms radio broadcasting.

“It has been an exemplary pacesetter through its pioneering 24/7 community broadcasting which had impacted positively on the social, cultural and economic affairs of its immediate environs,” he said.

Also speaking at the occasion, Alhaji Ishaq Modibo-Kawu, the Director-General of NBC, said that there were understandable apprehensions about what use or misuse campus broadcasting could be put to.

“It was a very important victory for all of us in broadcasting that Nigeria opened up the aperture of campus broadcasting; first, from the University of Lagos, and subsequently, all over Nigeria,” he said.

He recalled that when the Western Regional Government established the first television service in Africa in 1959, the vision that Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his colleagues had was to use it as an avenue for assisting the Free Education programme of the region.

Modibo added that broadcasting has vital roles to play in assisting in the achievement of sustainable development programmes.

“If we understand that concept in the context defined by the United Nations System, or as domesticated within our own realities, our national struggle against underdevelopment must be apprehended within the framework of the effort to attain sustainable development,” he said.

He said the Nigerian broadcaster must be a conscious professional, able to deploy his professional tools, his patriotic fervour as well as a very rich, proactive intellect, to produce the kinds of programming that can elevate the platforms of understanding to enhance the achievement of sustainable development.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Mr Kunle Akogun, Director Corporate Affairs of the university, said the radio station was established on Aug. 13, 2009, by the administration of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.

According to him, the radio station is to provide a window to the larger community about what the university is doing as well as a set standard for socially responsible entertainment.

He noted that it serves as a laboratory for training and simulation of activities, prepares students for careers in the media industry, educates, informs and entertain, as well as for community development purposes.

Akogun said that the radio had also significantly contributed to the reduction of tension on the university campus, adding that it was also the first to operate for 24 hours.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a book entitled, ” UNILORIN 89.3 FM @ 10, a Decade of Broadcasting Excellence,” was launched.