Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, has warned workers of the state-owned Radio Niger and Niger State Television (NSTV) against stealing equipment from either of the stations currently undergoing renovations and upgrading.
The commissioner said, “All the equipment; obsolete or new are all properties of Niger State government and on no account should any staff remove any of the equipment as both stations are undergoing upgrading and renovation”.
Besides, it was said that the commissioner had issues with some workers of the outfits over two contractors supplying equipment for the projects.
The commissioner had accused one of the contractors, Messrs COMFAX Nigeria Limited, of supplying analogue equipment which was nolonger the vogue as against similar one ordered by a new contractor, Messrs ECALPEMOS TECHNOLOGIES NIG still being expected into the country.
But some workers felt otherwise; a situation which was said irked the commissioner. The workers’ position on the issue, it was gathered, prompted the commissioner to warn against removing any equipment from any of the stations.
The distrust is said to have
given rise to series of allegations in some quarters that the contractors handling the reactivation of Radio Niger and the NSTV projects were trying to recycle the equipment supplied by the first contractor, Messrs COMFAX Nigeria Limited.
Proponents of the rumour also fingered the commissioner of trying to connive with his favoured contractors at the detriment of the stations and its entire workforce.
But Vatsa in a statement, Thursday described those not comfortable with on-going renovations as ‘mischief makers and detractors of the present administration in the state. He also urged Nigerlites to desist from peddling rumours capable of causing disaffection among state citizenry.
Vatsa said, “The equipment supplied by Messrs COMFAX Nigeria Limited were analogue and had become obsolete as against the digital equipment ordered by the new Contractors, Messrs ECALPEMOS TECHNOLOGIES NIG and is yet to arrive Nigeria”.
Vatsa specifically recalled how he received an official letter from the Acting General Manager of NSTV on the inventory of the equipment supplied by Messrs COMFAX Nigeria Limited which he said is now being moved to the stores to provide space for expected equipment from Messrs ECALPEMOS TECHNOLOGIES NIG LTD to carry out general renovation on the NSTV.
