Posted by The Port Harcourt Telegraph on
Eight years after the creation of Bayelsa State out from the old Rivers State, professional Bayelsans redeployed from the Rivers State television channel 22 UHF in Port Harcourt are faced with major problems in their professional and social live.
Eight years after the creation of Bayelsa State out from the old Rivers State, professional Bayelsans redeployed from the Rivers State television channel 22 UHF in Port Harcourt are faced with major problems in their professional and social live.
Correspondent reports from the state allege that the future of workers at her television station looks bleak and hazy. The source said the welfare of the workers has not received a boost as they do not only lack accommodation, but are almost becoming redundant.
Our source also had it that construction work on the project expected to house the state Television along Tombia Road in Gbaratoru, Yenagoa has been abandoned.
Correspondents who visited the construction site discovered that the area has been surrounded by weeds, sand dunes and reptiles.
During a visit to the state Newspaper corporation where many of the workers claimed they are housed in a single room, and described it as a very sad situation even as they disclosed the state government promised in her last year budget announcement that the BSTV would be on air in six months time.
The workers do not appear to have confidence in the pledge, pointing out that equipment meant for the project were far from sight just as there were lack of every facility to back the administration's claim. The workers said "things are difficult and backward at the station because this is a technological age and all operations have gone digital but ours is poor".
Correspondents also gathered that a former female commissioner of information, may have compounded the staff problems when money initially meant to build BSTV was allegedly diverted to another project.
We, however, gathered that the state government has just provided another sum of N642 million for the project to assume the desired level and also as a means of boosting the ego of the affected staff.
Observers say provision of the whooping sum of money does not guarantee the expected performance at the place because there are still hurdles to cross by those handling the project particularly the co-ordinator who they expressed reservation over his performance.
The workers are also calling on the Bayelsa State governor, His Excellency, Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha to approve an immediate training scheme preferably in overseas to meet the challenges of modern Television Broadcasting.
They are also demanding that the present permanent secretary be redeployed to create room for improvement at the station.