MAKURDI – Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue on Monday urged the Voice of Nigeria (VON) to project the cultural values of the state through its programmes.
The governor made the call while inaugurating the North-Central Zonal office of VON in Makurdi.
He said it had become imperative for the media to project cultural values of the people to preserve them.
He expressed regret that most people, especially youths, were swayed by western traditions by watching and listening to programmess from foreign stations.
He, therefore, charged the station to change such negative perspective by including local content in their programmes.
Suswam also promised to provide land to the organisation to build their permanent quarters in the state.
The Director General of VON, Alhaji Abubakar Jijiwa, said the station was the only one that transmits with the aid of digital devices in Africa.
He commended the state government for providing official accommodation for them and urged the state to accommodate them in that facility until they get their own accomodation.
Jijiwa later told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the station was prepared for the switchover from analogue to digital and would comply with the 2015 directive.
He said “although we are now operating on analogue frequency by transmitting two hours everyday, we have gone digital in Europe, North America and the Mediterrenean.’’
He promised the people of North-Central states improved radio programmes that would expose their activities, including their cultural heritage and agricultural potential.
“The story of the North-Central states will not be the same after this,” he said. (NAN)
