By Emma Elebeke

Acting Director-Genral of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Dr. Samson Shaibu, in this interview speaks on how 2015 digitization goal, accreditation of FRCN training school was aborted,  his ascension into the office as Acting DG,  the challenges of FRCN and his plans for the broadcast major. Excerpts.

Tell us about yourself
I have been a broadcaster for a greater part of my life. I live broadcasting, eat broadcasting and breathe broadcasting. I joined as a graduate; I have gone through the mill of broadcasting. I am a producer; I have many programmes produced to my credit. After going through the mill, I became the Controller, Manager and Executive Director in charge of training and I was a foundation director in charge of programme development for FRCN. I was director, training for many years. I have added value to FRCN. During my time as Director Training, I brought international client to the training school in Ikeja. Then, we were about accrediting the training school but it was aborted.

How did you become Acting D-G?
From Lagos, I was brought in here as zonal director in charge of Abuja zone. Then, from zonal director, I became Acting Director-General. That was about three months ago.

Shaibu: FRCN is ready for digital migration

The acting position
was only made possible by the grace of God and the enabling environment of the present regime that says, when a D-G is going after his tenure, he should hand over to the most senior person.

What did you set to achieve with that initiative?
If there was continuity in governance, the training school would have been an accredited professional centre for Africa and the general centre for radio broadcasting for the continent but it was not to be.

Should that be regarded as one of your regrets in life?
It should not be regret. It was just that I wanted to contribute my little quota and add value to the calling of being director then. When I came to Abuja zone, I tried to add value. Abuja zone was a forgotten place. It was one of the least zones of FRCN among the six zones in the country. When I came in, there was no wall but I have built a fence.

The Abuja zone started in 1980. When I came in, we fenced the wall; it was a dumping ground for dumping refuse. Now,  there are over 13 or 15 shops built by the initiative and they are generating revenue for the Abuja zone. These are the added value we feel civil servants should put into the system. Anywhere I go, I try to add a little value and God has been able to see me through.

What is the state of the Lagos training school today?
The training school is in a state of dilapidation. It is in need of a general overhaul in the area of dormitory and hostel accommodation for students. It needs overhaul in the provision of class rooms. It also needs an overhaul in synergy in the provision of language laboratory, provision of modern ICT learning skills and training gargets.

How prepared is FRCS for 2015 digital migration plan?
It is ongoing, it not a question of whether we are ready. The government has laid a template. It set a committee for digitization and they have written a report. But government cannot do it alone. In digitization, we are talking about being compliant with production from content to implementation. The recording has to be compliant, and when you are editing, it has to be digitally compliant. Now, you are talking about software for editing.

It is no longer the old story of reel to reel tape, but carrying the recorded materials and putting it on the laptop and doing the editing, through cool edit system or any other application. This is the digitization government is talking about. Government is doing its own, the professionals must do their own as well. With digitization, recording is no longer the old way. Government will only create the enabling environment for professionals.

You mean, FRCN is ready for digitization?
We are ready. FRCN has the best of professionals in the whole world. What we do not have is the technical backup. We are buying equipment that are compliant. We have just bought amps that are digitally compliant. While we wait for approval of the report of the Presidential committee, we as professionals have to groom ourselves in the area of training and retraining.

With your present position, don’t you think you have the opportunity now to build the FRCN of your dream?

It is on my mission ambition to intervene in that area, if I am confirmed substantive Director-General because without confirmation, one will be limited to do certain things. But when confirmed, one can begin to put synergy of innovations, networking with people.

Then you can go to
the National Assembly to make case for those things you dream of. Then, with the support of the Presidency and the National Assembly and effective budgeting, I can make a positive change in FRCN.