ASABA/Nigeria: The management and staff of the Delta Broadcasting Service, DBS, Warri had been told the Ministry of Information, is not responsible for the monthly impress allocation of departments under the ministry, as it’s the function of the Accountant General of the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Chief Patrick Ukah, stated this when he received the Acting General Manager, accompanied by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Radio, Television and Theatre Art Workers Union (RATTAWU) in his office Monday, May 13, 2019.
While admonishing the Acting General Manager and his team to investigate the veracity of rumours they hear, he noted, “This ministry does not breathe down on its parastatals, more so when you have a board. The ministry is not responsible for giving you impress but the Office of the Accountant General, so there is no way the ministry can withhold your impress.”
He said that his paramount concern was to look at ways he could entrench legacies that people coming after could leverage on, adding “I have highlighted before His Excellency, the Governor the needs for training on the use of the equipment in the station and there are plans to change your equipment to digital for modern digital transmission.”
The commissioner who emphasized the need for the broadcast outfit not to be managed aground, called for strong synergy between the management and staff, saying they should believe in themselves to raise the standard of service delivery offered to the public.
The information commissioner, who was accompanied on the reception of the DBS Warri team by the Functioning Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Paul Osahor JP and senior management staff, said: “We need to work in partnership and believe in ourselves,” adding, “If you don’t believe in your leadership we cannot move forward”
Chief Ukah used the occasion to clarify on the working relationship between ministries and their parastatals, explaining that the Ministry of Information concerned itself with the statutory role of overseeing capital projects in line with the needs of its parastatals to ensure they function optimally.
The commissioner called on the Acting General Manager to be mindful of the financial situation he met, saying he was not bound to be tied down by bottlenecks in previous financial transaction, saying the ministry had received the approval from the state governor to constitute an administrative panel of inquiry to look into the management of the service.
On the untidy state of the premises of the broadcast outfit, Chief Ukah promised to liaise with his environment counterpart, Chief John Nani to carryout fumigation exercise to rid the place of dangerous reptiles.
Early, Acting General Manager, Pastor Malcolm Oteri, said he had spent one day in office after receiving the handing over note from the former General Manager, My Tunde Omodode Igrammar, adding that he had met with union leadership, saying they had agreed to sheath their sword.
He reassured the commissioner that situation at the outfit had returned to normal and the atmosphere ready for government work.
