The newly reconstituted Board of the Katsina State Radio and Television Sevice has been inaugurated by the Commissioner of Information, Dr. Bala Salisu Zango.
As we gathered for the inauguration of the newly reconstituted board, appointed by Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, I found myself contemplating the significance of the chairman's position. This reflection brought forth valuable insights for those with an observant mind.
I reminisced about my initial encounter with the board chairman before I joined the Katsina State Television, KTTV, in 1991, nearly 33 years ago when I transferred my service from the Katsina State Ministry of Education.
After successfully securing the position of Senior Current Affairs Officer in a competitive interview, a few of us were unfortunately denied the appointment due to a sudden change in policy by the state government. The government wanted to prevent a brain drain from the teaching profession, which affected my appointment.
However, since I had already initiated the process of transferring my service before the interview and received endorsement from the ministry of education, the board chairman, who was the late Malam Wada Maida, the Editor-in-Chief at the News Agency of Nigeria, later approved my appointment based on that endorsement.
Years later, as a full-time staff member at KTTV, I encountered another board chairman of the Katsina State Radio and Television Service. This situation arose when I was ordered to be dismissed by the then governor, Alhaji Sa'idu Barda. This decision was not personal, as the governor had no knowledge of my identity or who should be dismissed. The order was to sack whoever was responsible for an action. Unfortunately, as the duty editor on that day, I became the scapegoat.
The incident occurred when the Nigeria Labour Congress called for a strike in Katsina State due to the governor's refusal to implement the new minimum wage for workers. My mistake, which was not unprofessional, was airing the story on state television, which led to a complete strike across the state, paralyzing government work. This happened around 1992. The process of my dismissal began with a meeting of the board of directors, following the orders of the state governor. The chairman of the board at that time was the late Alhaji Dauda Mani, who had previously served as the Majority Leader of the Kaduna State House of Assembly before the creation of Katsina State.
Late Alhaji Dauda Mani was the father of my friend and schoolmate, Lawal Dauda Mani, and also a political associate of my late father. Before the board convened, I reached out to the chairman through my friend and my father. Thankfully, a crisis was averted, and my imminent dismissal was halted when the board met and concluded that the situation was not entirely my fault. I was granted mercy and exonerated.
My third encounter with a chairman of the Katsina State Radio and Television Service occurred around 2004/2005-2006, during my tenure as the General Manager, GM, of KTTV. The chairman at that time was Dr. Rabi'u Abdulkadir Kurfi, a former Deputy Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly. Dr. Rabi'u Kurfi also happened to be my schoolmate at NCE level at the College of Education Kafanchan, although I had been ahead of him by two or three years. Our relationship was cordial and harmonious.
All these thoughts flooded my mind as we prepared for the inauguration, and it struck me that today, I would assume that significant position as was predetermined by the Almighty Allah. At the time I faced those challenges, I could never have imagined that one day I would occupy such a role...
May Allah bless our journey...
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