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Nasarawa Demolishes First Private Radio Station 2 Months after Commissioning by Governor Al-Makura
Breeze FM 99.9, the first private radio station in Nasarawa was on Saturday afternoon demolished by the state government and residents took to social media to condemn the action.
The building was commissioned by the state governor Tanko Al-Makura in March 2017.
Facebook user Elizabeth Odeh explained that the Radio station was demolished for speaking against the non-payment of salaries in the state for 5 months. She wrote:
The Nasarawa state governor Gov. Tanko almakura has ordered the urban development to demolish a radio station called Breeze fm 99.9 in Lafia.
STORY..
Lastweek, the civil servant went on strike for non-payment of salaries for 5month. They came to the radio station to plead to the governor through media and the radio fm advertised it, to our surprise the urban development who are ALSO on strike was in the radio station the following morning to give notice of demolishion base on the governors order.
This morning they came to the radio station and demolished the building.
Corroborating the story, another Facebook user Mbumburen Silas Ismaila insisted that the station was demolished illegally for speaking the truth in the face of tyranny and nepotism. He wrote:
Keeping quiet in the face of injustice is a total support for the injustice. We must lend out voices.. . A wrong is a wrong…
A striking ministry carrying out demolition, like seriously?
The highest level of tyranny and nepotism, if u criticize the government on their ills, u come under attack…
A state where striking and peacefully protesting workers gets shot to death for fighting for their rights,
Schools on strike, ministries on strike, nothing else works,
Now a private radio house demolished illegally for speaking truth. You can attack truth, but it can never be shut down permanently, truth is a seed that’s been planted already, it shall always grow.
The masses must all rise to the occasion of saying the truth, he cannot kill us all, we shall speak when need be. .
Istandwiththetruth….
Istandwiththemasses….
Truth shall prevail….
The lawlessness must end some day… We praying on it….
It is an unfortunate development that in a democratic setting, somebody will demolish a radio station serving the common people. The government needed to accept that there must avenue for people to air their views. It was the same government that commissioned the station; for the government to come up with violation papers is mere excuse. This is an assault on journalists in the state; the government is trying to gag the press and stop people from getting balanced reportage. We will not tolerate this kind of action, and we will call on the national secretariat to take action. We want government to appreciate the role of the media and know that there can be no democracy without the media
