The Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr Mohammed Bulama, has called on Northern governors to support Radio Nigeria station in Kaduna State, describing the station as a historic and strategically important institution in Nigeria’s broadcasting landscape..
Bulama made the appeal on Friday while receiving a delegation from the Kebbi State Government led by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Yakubu Birnin-Kebbi, during a courtesy visit to FRCN headquarters in Abuja.
The FRCN Director-General said Radio Nigeria was prepared to deploy its extensive network to project the developmental strides of the Kebbi State Government.
He disclosed that the corporation had commenced efforts to make Kaduna Zonal Station serve the people through the installation of new medium-wave transmitters and solar-powered infrastructure but stressed that government support would be crucial to completing the project.
Bulama appealed to Governor Nasir Idris to champion a regional initiative among Northern governors to restore the historic station.
“I would like His Excellency, the Governor of Kebbi State, to become the rallying point for collaboration among Northern governors to fully revive Radio Nigeria Kaduna. It is a task we cannot accomplish alone,” he said.
He noted that Radio Nigeria Kaduna occupies a unique place in Nigeria’s broadcasting history and remains strategically important to information dissemination across Northern Nigeria.
“That legacy must not be allowed to fade. Governments and stakeholders across the Northwest should rally together to preserve and strengthen it,” he stated.
“We are undertaking similar upgrades in Abuja, Enugu, and eventually the Northeast. However, because of Kaduna’s unique history and strategic importance, we are making every effort to restore it to its former prominence”. DG stated
Bulama assured the Kebbi delegation that Radio Nigeria was ready to strengthen its partnership with the state government through its nationwide broadcasting platforms.
“We are more than ready to work with you. We want to collaborate with you and communicate all the good things the Kebbi State Government is doing,” he said.
DG FRCN, noted that the collaboration would extend beyond Equity FM in Birnin Kebbi to Radio Nigeria’s network of nearly 50 stations nationwide and its growing digital platforms.
Bulama described Kebbi as one of Nigeria’s most naturally endowed states, with enormous agricultural and solid mineral resources whose potential could only be fully realised through sustained investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure and security.
He noted the commitment of FRCN to promote governments whose development objectives align with Radio Nigeria’s mandate of “Uplifting the People and Uniting the Nation.”
The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mallam Yakubu Birnin-Kebbi, said the advocacy tour was aimed at strengthening partnerships and projecting Kebbi State’s development story to a wider audience.
“We have reached a stage in Kebbi State where we need to tell our story a story of progress, unprecedented infrastructural development and a state breaking free from decades of underdevelopment,” the commissioner said.
He explained that the delegation was at Radio Nigeria to appreciate the corporation for its longstanding support to Kebbi State and to explore new areas of collaboration that would benefit both institutions.
“We are here primarily to say a big thank you to Radio Nigeria for the tremendous support it has rendered to Kebbi State over the years. We have come to deepen our cooperation and collaboration and explore additional avenues through which we can work together to strengthen democracy, peace and security,” he said.
The commissioner said Governor Nasir Idris had transformed Kebbi from a state once regarded as one of the least developed in Nigeria into one witnessing rapid infrastructural and socio-economic growth.
He cited the construction of about 60 kilometres of roads with solar-powered streetlights in Birnin Kebbi, road projects across Argungu, Yauri and Zuru, and the development of a modern central motor park as evidence of the administration’s urban renewal agenda.
According to him, the government has also completed four mega secondary schools, constructed additional primary and junior secondary schools, and recruited more than 2,000 qualified teachers to improve the quality of education.
In the health sector, he said the administration addressed the exodus of doctors from public service by improving their remuneration, leading to the return of many medical professionals.
He noted that all 32 general hospitals had been renovated, primary healthcare centres upgraded, while over 200 doctors and other health workers had been employed.
The commissioner highlighted the completion of the long-abandoned Kebbi State Secretariat Complex, saying the facility now accommodates over 25,000 civil servants and all state ministries.
He described the transformation as evidence that Kebbi had successfully broken away from decades of underdevelopment.
“Kebbi State is truly a story of achievement, progress and development. Whichever sector you examine, the governor has made significant improvements,” he said.
“We are here primarily to say a big thank you to Radio Nigeria for the tremendous support it has rendered to Kebbi State, not just under this administration but over the years. Your correspondence in Kebbi has been up and running, honestly, and we’d like to say a big thank you for those services. We hope that we’ll continue in that direction.”
When the governor assumed office, he inherited the State Secretariat Complex, a project that began in 2012 under the Sa’idu Dakingari administration. Although the original contract was valued at N3.2 billion, the project was abandoned. The succeeding administration also made little progress.
According to him, the governor immediately revisited the project. The original Chinese contractors had estimated that completing it would cost ₦20 billion. However, the governor rejected the estimate and instead invited local contractors to submit bids. They proposed completing the project for approximately ₦10 billion.
As at today, the complex has been completed and now accommodates over 25,000 civil servants and all 27 commissioners.
RN
