Radio Rivers And Rural Transformation

According to Sir William Haley, a former Director General of the BBC in a famous lecture at the University of Bristol in 1948, “The power of broadcasting if skillfully used can move masses of people in a way the printed word cannot, and when used consistently it can affect the outlook of individuals and nations”

The remarks of Sir William Haley bring to mind the remarks of his predecessor and pioneer General Manager of the BBC in 1932, Sir Lord Reith while inaugurating the BBC Empire Service which later transformed to BBC World Service.

According to Lord Reith, at 9:30am Saturday December 19, 1932, “The BBC Empire service would become a connecting and Coordinating Link between the scattered parts of the British Empire and the home government in the United Kingdom”.

This underscored the importance of the power of radio in uniting and transforming society for the better and for sustaining a dream of a people.

To buttress their resolve, the British Government actually introduced radio broadcasting in British Colonies including Nigeria in 1933, less than a year after the BBC Empire Service was launched in London.

It is instructive to note that in the 1930s, the world war, particularly the second World War was at crescendo and the empire service was both a catalyst and loadstone in uniting British Colonies including British West Africa where Nigeria belongs.

In Nigeria, the radio experiment took the form of relay service called reddifusion and was directly under the supervision of the post and telegraph  department in Lagos’, the seat of government at the time.

The radio experiment was witnessed and enjoyed in Kaduna, Enugu, Abeokuta, Jos, Zaria, Calabar and Port Harcourt between 1945 and 1949.

Following the siting of transmitter in Nigeria and introduction of a quasi local  programme, the radio distribution service metamorphosed into Nigeria Broadcasting Service (NBS) on April 1, 1951 and later transformed to Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on April 1, 1957 while the restructuring of Radio Broadcasting in Nigeria that led to the emergence of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) occurred in 1978 also on April 1.

It is on record that consequent upon the creation of 12 States structure in 1967 by the Yakubu Gowon administration, it became apparent that the new states required radio stations that would propagate government policies and programmes to the masses.

The new Rivers State Government under Commander Alfred Diete- Spiff exhibited the same desire to own and manage its broadcast outfit.

The legal instrument that gave birth to the Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation (RSBC) was signed into law, on August 24, 1973. It is called Edict No.8 of 1973.

One thing is clear: the RSBC was originally designed at inception to serve as an umbrella body for the state radio and television service but the television arm, however, began before the radio service, probably due to the fact that the NBC was already in the State.

At inception, the legendary Gabriel Okara was appointed General Manager, RSBC (TV and Radio).

The mandate was clear and simple, to create appropriate and favourable identity for the newly created Rivers State which was created out of the defunct Eastern Nigeria.

The founding fathers who fought for the creation of Rivers State were confronted with the challenge to truly portray the unique culture of the people of Rivers State distinct from the Igbos who dominated the Eastern Region.

The nascent state broadcast stations radio or television at the time, therefore, tended towards what was largely considered as community broadcasting.

On the part of the state newspaper, the choice of the name, The Nigerian Tide now The Tide Newspaper might not be unconnected with the nature of our tidal waves which is not a common feature of rivers in Igbo land.

When the call signal “Radio Rivers” was used and a vibrant damsel Mambo Tumbowei signed on the station on June1, 1978, the project to protect the identity of Rivers people was set in motion unequivocally.

Chief Olu B. Fubara was the General Manager of RSBC (as Radio Rivers alone).

Chief Fubara later recruited a team of staff who were committed and dedicated to the project and service to the state.

They included Mrs Nguba Agolia Aspinall, Johnny Abasa, Mr Ben Okowa and Dr. Cyprian Wonodi while late Ernest Ogbanga came from the NBC-FRCN and others who chose the option to embrace the new Radio Rivers. Truly Radio Rivers kept all the strata of Rivers society as one indivisible entity. This is very much evidenced today.

It is nostalgic to remember beautiful programmes particularly in’ Languages such, Minasiki and Arokereme broadcast to the Okrika audience presented bv Obed Akalogbo, Fari-epere by late Billy Tima Evans to Kalabari audience, Bonalo Lobel to Gokhana people presented by late Dornubari Fulbel, late Felix Kpai and Gody Bazari while  Ikwerre Nbekwelemji to Ikwerre audience was presented by late Wolugbom, Ohaka and much later Augustine Okajile etc.

There were also similar programmes in Nembe, Ijaw, Andoni, Abua, Ekpeye and Eleme among others.

Programmes in languages were not only the programmes on Radio Rivers but music, news, sports, particularly live coverage of football matches and National Sports Festival as well as religious and cultural festival, such as carniriv 1988 and the present day carnival programmes.

Better still, in search of solution to enlighten a multi ethnic audience such as Rivers State, Radio Rivers introduced the use of Pidgin English tagged “Special English” as an official language of public communication on radio in 1984.

Pidgin English on Radio Rivers shot late Isikima Harry and Boma Erekosima to stardom. It is pertinent to observe that before then, the innovation of Pidgin English was not in official use on any radio station in Nigeria.

Interestingly, from late Sonny Joe, Albert Alale, E. T. S. Ogbanga, Victor Madume, Glori Fiofori, Elder Eriye Iyaye to Morgan Omodu as General Managers, the vision has been the same.

Other General Managers of RSBC were Friday Olube, Mike Baridorn Oku and the present Mediline Tador.

To serve the state even better on May 2, 1981 the Rivers State Government added Frequency Modulation (FM) to the stable of RSBC. The FM Station was signed on by the veteran Dafini Gogo-Abbey. Radio Rivers Am and Radio Rivers 2 FM Stereo not only ruled the airwaves but kept the policy thrust of the founding fathers alive.

Unfortunately, Rivers people lost the Am Station of RSBC Radio Rivers in 1999 under the leadership of Governor Peter Odili and today the premises is being occupied by Daar Communications, operators of African Independent Television (A IT) and RayPower Radio.

The implication remains the collapse of local and indigenous languages of Rivers people in a fast growing city of Port Harcourt and Rivers State at large.

As Radio Rivers 2 FM Stereo clocked 32 last Thursday and 40 years of Radio Rivers in the eye of Edict No.8 of 1973, broadcasting in languages is strategic to creating favoruable identity of Rivers State by providing required information that would enable this heterogonous state to be ever united.

It may not be out of place, therefore, to appeal to the authorities concerned to as a matter of urgency establish a new radio station or restructure existing public radio owned by Rivers State Government to serve the needs of the people of the state.

The time to act is now.

Sika is a staff of Radio Rivers, PH.

Baridorn Sika