POWER PLAY: MY CLASH WITH THE POWERS THAT BE (2)

As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/General Manager (GM) of a state broadcast station, Katsina State Television (KTTV), not many people know that I had several brush offs with the powers that be.

One of such brush offs was the day I was put in a dilemma by the duo of the Secretary to Katsina State Government on the one hand and Katsina State House of Assembly (KTSHA), on the other hand.

It so happened that the SSG and KTSHA were at loggerheads at the time. It came to a head when the then President, Olosegun Obasanjo (OBJ) visited Katsina State. When he landed and during introductions, the then Speaker, KTSHA, claimed that they felt slighted when the SSG snubbed them by blocking them from having a handshake with OBJ. There and then, they decided to summon him to the house to explain his action. And there began my travails.

They insisted that they wanted to hear it on the news that they had summoned the SSG. And the SSG would have none of that. The SSG was very powerful then. But then, so was the Speaker. The battle line had been drawn, clearly, and I was right in the middle of the altercation.

The speaker sent his Press Secretary to tell me to broadcast it in the news. And the SSG sent SA to tell me that it must not be aired. Wow! 

I reflected on the situation; If I allowed it to go on air, I would be in trouble with the SSG, and if I did not broadcast it, the Speaker and the entire house would be offended...I don't have to tell you what that means. Among the three groups, I was the only one who didn't have any power over the governor, so I was the only one expendable. It was a dicey situation, more like holding a tiger by the tail. At that very moment the handwriting was on the wall.  I knew that my days were numbered as the GM, KTTV. The only comforting thought on my mind was the fact that I was on secondment and I could always go back to my main employer, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

So I took a deep breath and sent for the news bulletin and found that the story was the leading story and the first headline. I reached a compromise in my mind. I re-edited it, watered it down and removed it from the headline, but allowed it to go on air.

Hmmm... That proved to be my undoing. From that day, I became the SSG's number one enemy. But the KTSHA was really satisfied with my decision.

Ahmed Abdulkadir

Ahmed Tijjani Abdulkadir is a seasoned media executive, journalist, teacher, entrepreneur, and public servant with over 35 years of distinguished experience in broadcasting, media regulation, public communication, and education. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Katsina State Radio and Television Service Board and holds several leadership positions in the private sector. He is the Chairman of Namowa MediaHub and Barau & Namowa Agro-Allied and General Services, as well as the Managing Director of Broadsphere Ventures Limited and Managing Director of FASAB Foods Nigeria Ltd. Mr. Abdulkadir holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from Bayero University, Kano, and a Bachelor of Education (Language Arts) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He also possesses professional qualifications in journalism and broadcasting from the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) Abuja, NTA Television College Jos, and The Thomson Foundation/British Council, and a Certificate in Digital Journalism (Reuters/Meta Journalism Project).

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