Soludo has good intentions for ABS, will revolutionalize company soon – Mgt

By Ifeizu Joe

The management of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) has said that the governor of the state, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has good intentions for the company, and is set to revolutionalize the station soon.

A member of the management who spoke to THE RAZOR on condition of anonymity on the backdrop of recent allegations of mismanagement and lack of motivating pay for its workers said the process is ongoing, and several memos have been lined up by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr Chris Molokwu for the governor.

The management staff who said he was not empowered to speak to the media laid bare several efforts being made by the management, which are not even in public domain, or even to the notice of those who have been criticizing the management, adding that the station will compete with top broadcasting stations in the country soon.

The source said there were indications that the governor has seen most of the memos sent to him, and stated that the management is optimistic that having concluded the governorship election in November, the governor will soon shift attention to the broadcast station.

He stated some of the problems of the company and efforts to resolve them and pleas already made to the governor.

“Though there are challenges of the company, we are making efforts to reach the governor, and we have itemized some of the needs we want him to look at. We want the governor to know that ABS needs direct funding. What I mean by that is that you can’t be reaching the company through a third party. It is we who wear the shoes that know where it hurts.

“For example, if we need a camera, and you use a third party to procure the camera, the person can make the camera available, but truth is that you know the kind of camera you want and what you want it to serve for. Not that the governor is wrong by using ministries to supervise the company, but we think it would be better instead to have internal supervisors. We are not asking for monies for procurement to come to us directly, but we say let us get the exact quality of equipment we ask for.

“The governor is doing well, but let him not use the past mistakes of the past administration to judge the present once. I have been in this company for long, and I want to tell you that the person he has chosen to administer the company now knows the job. From what we have seen, he is the best, but he has some handicap.

“I can tell you that Soludo has good intentions for ABS. Some of you may not know that Soludo gave the past management by Chido the sum of N200million to get some equipment, but that money was mismanaged, and I think that is why the governor is being circumspect this time, but we want to assure him that with Chris Molokwu, the company is in good hands.

He listed some of the achievements of the governor in the company, which has given hope to the management to include; the lighting up of ABS compounds both in Onitsha, Awka and Enugwu-Ukwu, installation of solar panels in Enugwu-Ukwu and Awka, while also appealing that the solar installation be extended to Onitsha station.

Speaking about the reforms of the new management, he said: “Do you know that when this management came on board, his first move was to try and rejig the place. For example, there were people who were placed on exorbitant allowances and you will be asking yourself what these people do to deserve such allowances, apart from their salaries.

“So this new management came on board and started looking for money to pay pension and others, so we had to look at the allowances and found out some people are just being paid money for work not done. Some people worked for just four days in a month and they get salaries, and ask for such allowances, so we had to stop it. We also had people who work from Monday to Sunday and never paid such allowances. So management had to stop it. That is why some people are fighting the new MD.

“You know the MD is coming from private sector, so he told them things can not continue to work the same way. He stated that he would ensure to pay media wage, but the practice of few hands working and everyone taking salaries and still laying claims to allowances will not work.”

He said the major problem of the company is how to pay some staff, who were sent to the ministry because of overstaffing, but are still paid by ABS, and how to take care of their pensioners.

“There are people from ABS, who were moved to various ministries, but there are still being paid by ABS till today. These are the things we as a management are asking the governor to help us with. Again, do you know that the number of ABS pensioners are far more than the current number of staff we have? What that means is that if assuming the governor gives us subvention of N45million monthly, the pensioners in the company will take a greater chunk of the money, leaving the people who do the actual job. Yet we have diesel, equipment and other expenses to deal with.

“Initially, Onitsha was the cash cow of ABS, but now some previous administrations neglected her and their equipment went obsolete.

“So we want to beg the governor to please fund Onitsha, take over our pensioners and also pay of staff in the ministries. Once this is done, I’m sure the company will have a fresh breath. He can now give the new MD the task of turning the company around, and I know Chris Molokwu will do it because he is a seasoned broadcaster.

“On the changes so far made, the source said: “You know, some people are don’t like changes. They will always tell you that is how we used to do it before you came, but Chris wants to revolutionalize things. He told staff that our major English and Igbo news bulletin will not be more than 15 minutes, but some people told him it can not be done, Oga you just started, and it can not happen. He told them news should be concise and straight to the point. You can imagine someone attending assignment and chronicling a news item of about five minutes. In one news item, you will report who prayed, who moved motions, and all manner of things. That is not news, that is minutes of meeting. That was what Chris said he doesn’t want.”

On the issue of casual staff who are said to be receiving a meagre N20,000, the source said they are the ones who even do most of the job, and that there is already a memory to the governor, seeking for their conversion to regular workers, and the he is sure it will receive favourable attention.