Fears Many Youths Will Be Thrown Out Of Jobs
By Halimah Olamide
A media entrepreneur Dr. Femi Adefila on Tuesday cried out over the suffocating conditions in which broadcast media organizations are operating.
Adefila expressed fears that many electronic media outlets will close down while hundreds of youths will be thrown into the labour market.
Adefila, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Rave FM and Western Nigeria Television based in Osogbo, Osun state, said that he never anticipated that a litre of diesel would cost as much as N1,600 in a country where power supply is also very epileptic.
He said he ventured into media entrepreneurship in 2014 with high hopes noting that his enthusiasm is beginning to wane.
“The Nigerian broadcast industry is in turmoil, with the challenges becoming increasingly life-threatening,” Adefila raised the alarm in his statement made available to the NPO Reports
He said many broadcast outfits have either shut down or are operating sporadically. “When I ventured into broadcast entrepreneurship in 2015, I had high hopes, energy, and conviction. “I aimed to redefine the broadcast landscape in my space and contribute to the GDP. However, it seems that Nigerian policies are thwarting my efforts,” Adefila lamented
He said with a population of over 220 million people generating less than 5 MW of power, it costs an average of 400,000 naira to stay on air for twelve hours for a small 2kW transmitter powered radio station operating on a 100kVA generator.
“How can such stations be profitable or sustainable?” Adefila queried
He admitted that the crisis is not peculiar to the broadcast industry; saying it affects all sectors of the economy.
He wondered however that “as storytellers, we often neglect to share our own struggles. We are like the butcher’s son who feeds on bones.”
He said he expects the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) to defend the industry.
“I see representatives from other sectors addressing their challenges daily.
“We provide them platforms for advocacy and help set agenda that spark public discourse.
“Other sectors benefit from our platforms, yet we remain silent and pretend to be strong.” He lamented
The Rave FM boss said the broadcast space is youth-centric and youth-driven.
He expressed fears of possible jobs losses if the government fails to act.
“More young people will join the already overcrowded job market.
“Politicians may see the broadcast industry as meddlesome and disruptive, but it’s our responsibility as practitioners to defend our space before they suffocate it. We must act before they stifle our industry and deprive it of oxygen. “