BEVERLY HILLS, May 18, (THEWILL) – A contracting firm handling the full digitisation of the Delta State Government-owned Broadcasting Service, located in Warri and Asaba, the state capital, has been accused of frustrating the full digitisation project of the two stations being carried out by the state government, THEWILL has learnt.
Sources told THEWILL that the contracting firm handling the project, COMFAX , has allegedly deceived the state government that the project was ready for commissioning whereas it was yet to fully install all the equipment purchased by the state government to make the stations effective.
Dependable sources who did not want to be named disclosed that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is expected to commission the digitisation project of the two stations before his tenure expires on May 29 but most of the equipment purchased were yet to be installed.
However, it was learnt that the firm has already started preparing ground for the government to carry out the commissioning instead of expediting action to complete the job.
The source alleged that the contracting firm was also mounting pressure on the state government to review the contract for reason yet to be fathomed.
It was gathered that following the development, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of journalists, (NUJ) and that of the Radio and Television, Theatre and Arts Workers union, (RATTAWU), were already preparing for a show down with the firm by embarking on a “BRING BACK OUR TV AND FM ” protest on the streets of Warri and Asaba to draw the attention of the state government to the anomaly.
THEWILL learnt that the two chapels of the union have resolved to resist any attempt by the state government to commission the uncompleted digitisation project, urging the state government to prevail on the firm handling the digitization project of both stations to expedite action on the completion of the project.
A unionist who craved anonymity disclosed that the unions had issued a statement earlier last week alleging that COMFAX had deliberately frustrated the digitisation of DBS Warri and Asaba stations in order to extort more money from state government.
The source said that though the unions had commended the state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, for his resolve to reposition the state owned broadcast stations particularly in upgrading of facilities to meet the international digitisation requirement, they purportedly resolved that the projects in both stations should not be commissioned until they have been completed and certified by the stations engineers.
According to the source, the unions also urged the state government to prevail on the contracting firm to replace the Asaba Television transmitters and its accessories to enable the station commence full transmission as the Television transmitter has not been on air for over one year.
“The Television transmitter at Ubulu-Uku is operating on the same channel 41 with the Warri station, an unprofessional decision by COMFAX,” the source disclosed.
The source lamented that despite the huge money said to have been spent by the state government on the project, the Asaba and Warri Stations have continued to improvise in the running of the station by using personal cameras, vehicles and other logistics to run government business.
“The ministry of information supervising the affairs of the stations is a clog in the wheel of progress, we have requested that the stations be made a Directorate under the Governor’s office like our counterparts in some states, all to no avail.
“Currently, the Television and Radio transmitters in Warri always go off air once it rains due to lack of thunder deflectors, yet COMFAX has assured the state government that the stations are ready for commissioning,” it was further disclosed.
