The Kano State Commissioner of Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya has directed the stoppage of felling of trees within the premises of the state television, Abubakar Rimi Television, saying the action runs contrary to the government’s policy on climate change.
He said henceforth, any tree cutting within the premises must be done with official permission, after due consultation with the officials of the relevant government agency, saying he was worried by a viral video showing cutting of trees at the premises of the station.
Comrade Waiya, who gave the directive during an unscheduled visit to the television station, noted that depletion of natural resources such as trees has serious implications for the environment, which should not be encouraged.
Regarding the operations of the television station, the commissioner noted that, “ study has revealed that, the television has now fallen short of viewer expectations due to stale contents and poor quality news production”
“Unlike many stations that allow for real-time engagement and viewing at one’s discretion, ARTV is conservative and cannot compete with other television stations around the country, adding that “the situation runs contrary to the character of the Abba Kabir Yusuf and administration’s policy, which believes and thrives on digital and modern operational practices in every sector of human development in the State.”
For the station to make meaningful progress, he maintained that its management must be proactive in utilizing its annual budget for tranformational purpose, highlighting that it must pay attention to staff training and development to forge ahead. He vowed to present a special report to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for a special intervention to pursue vigorous digital upgrade for the station to enable it compete favourably with its peers
The Commissioner therefore charged the management of the station to focus on transparency and accountability in resource utilization, including effective personnel management
During the interaction, the Deputy Managing Director of ARTV, Malam Idris Abba Musa said, the organization is grappling with operational challenges, including bureaucratic issues, inadequate training of staff and optimum digitization of the facilities at the station.