The Rivers State Government says it will no longer tolerate a situation where its companies cannot stand on their own in a competitive market environment.
The State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who stated this while speaking at the relaunch of the Garden City Radio inPort Harcourtsaid the era when government companies depended on government for salaries and other needs was over for good.
According to the State Chief Executive, “From today, the management and staff of the Garden City Radio must accept the present reality that it will not depend on government funding in whatever manner to remain in business or afloat. Whatever measures other Radio stations in the state are adopting to survive, pay their salaries and repair as well as replace their equipment, please adopt them to ensure you don’t come cap in hand begging us to assist you because we will not,” Governor Amaechi emphasized.
Governor Amaechi gave the management and staff of the new Station two years to relocate from their present accommodation since according to him government will take back the place and revert it to the guest house it used to be.
The State Governor warned the management of the Station to completely avoid a situation where they would turn the Station into government propaganda outfit, stressing that such unnecessary media positioning is the actual reason for the death of a lot of government media houses.
He also expressed satisfaction with the professional team put together to manage the station saying that they should work hard enough to demonstrate the dedication to duty and professional expertise and competence.
He said that at the expiration of the two years they must move out of the present accommodation to their own privately acquired office complex.
Governor Amaechi who expressed appreciation for the State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, her management and staff for their commitment to ensure that the Garden City Radio was relaunched as a rebranded radio station, enjoined the General Manager of the Station, Mr. Dagogo Ezekiel Hart not to misplace the confidence the State government has reposed in him.
In his speech, the Chairman of the occasion and former Commissioner for Information, Prince Ogbonna Nwuke, described the final re-launch of the station as a result of the sense of focus and result driven attitude and commitment of the Governor Amaechi-led administration and enjoined the station to live up to the expectations of the people.
In her speech, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari assured Rivers people and the general public that the new Station which she said is better equipped and has the best of the best in terms of professional expertise, will deliver on her charge to the admiration of the people.
Mrs. Semenitari disclosed that both the Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation and Rivers State Television will be given the desired boost in terms of equipment and professional repositioning in 2012 to be able to give the people what she described as “real value for their money”.
Earlier in his address, the General Manager of the Garden City Radio, Mr. Dagogo Ezekiel-Hart had thanked the State Government for its vision for the station and promised to deliver on the station’s mandate.
Mr. Ezekiel Hart however told the listening audience in the State that the station would largely serve the top echelon of society more than other stations, saying that the station will not be a jack of all trade and master of none. ###
