By Daniel Tyokua
The minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has asked operators of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Community Radio to heed to ethical standards of the journalism profession.
She stated this during inauguration of AMAC Community Radio and a plaza named after in Karshi on Thursday.
Aliyu advised the operators to ensure that the station serve as a platform that would facilitate an interface between duty bearers and rights holders.
The minister described Community Radio as a medium of expressing and sharing views, thoughts, ideas, problems and prospects of rural, disadvantaged, vulnerable and hard-to-reach populace.
She warned the operators to be weary of individuals and groups with interests and dispositions to cause public disquiet and disrupt the peace of the society.
“We are therefore confident that this Community Radio can help us in addressing social, economic, cultural, educational, health, water and sanitation and disaster-related issues more effectively and strategically.
“The station should also promote small and medium enterprises development by creating market opportunities for the operators and consequently improve their sales and incomes, and contribute to the socio-economic development of the people.
“It is important that we must avoid misadventures into politics and religion and any sensitive issues that have the potential to divide rather than unite our people. These and many more are daunting tasks before you, and you must do everything to avoid such landmines”, the minister cautioned .
Aliyu, however, commended the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council for the diligence exhibited in the service of the people, stressing that the Community Radio would further enhance revenue generation of the council.
Speaking earlier, chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Hon. Abdullali Adamu Candido, said that the aspiration of his government since 2016 was to change the narrative, establish the concept of self-sustaining council with economic strength.
He added that the vision was developed to a conceptual framework which transformed to the establishment of some institutions such as AMAC Investment and Property Development Company, AMAC Micro finance bank, AMAC Marshals and the AMAC Community Radio, stressing that their operations are being monitored to ensure their sustainability.
Candido explained that the AMAC Community Radio was established in order to bridge the information gap and to further bring governance closer to the people, while charging residents of Karshi community to safeguard the project.
The AMAC boss called on development partners whose goals and programmes span across community mobilization and socialization towards stimulating and sustaining the process of growth and development of rural communities, to see AMAC Community Radio as a veritable tool to propagate their goals.
The highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the AMAC Community Radio and Karshi Community Plaza which was named after the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu.
