The Acting General Manager of Radio Bayelsa, Glory FM 97.1, Mrs. Grace Peletri, has pledged the station’s readiness to collaborate with the United Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council to promote development in the state.
Peletri made this known during a courtesy visit by the United Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Bayelsa State Council, to her office in Yenagoa.
She said the station will also give publicity to the Chapel’s forthcoming sensitization campaign on Drug Abuse, Cultism and Cybercrime for selected secondary schools in Yenagoa.
She noted that given the media’s mandate to inform, educate, and entertain, it is imperative for practitioners to discharge their duties responsibly in order to drive societal growth and development.
The General Manager said the station has been relying on its generator since Thursday following persistent failure of its power plant, with technicians projecting that repairs may not be completed until Tuesday.
“Since I came on board, the power plant has been failing and failing since Thursday till today. They told us it will likely end on Tuesday. We have been resorting to our generator, and diesel is expensive.
In a day it costs about N300,000 to run it because a jerrican is N49,000, and that will be about nine to ten jerricans a day,” she said.
The acting GM explained that despite the high cost, management was committed to keeping the station on air to fulfill its mandate of informing, educating, and entertaining the public.
“We cannot do it ourselves with this huge amount of money. We have gone to the Commissioner of Information and they promised to give their support to let it float. With that much we can run till midnight. We are the only radio station that runs till midnight,” Peletri stated.
She described the Radio Bayelsa edifice as a landmark investment by the state government that must be justified through service delivery.
” This is the voice of government and should not be closed for any reason. That is what we are fighting tooth and nail to get done, and by God’s grace it will be done,” she said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the United Correspondents Chapel, NUJ Bayelsa Council, Comrade Ekaunkumo Amgbare commended Peletri for resolving the station’s transmission challenge during power outages within one month of her elevation, describing it as evidence of purposeful leadership.
Amgbare said the visit was to formally introduce the new Chapel executive to the station, explore areas of collaboration in news content and public enlightenment, and seek support for a forthcoming sensitization program for secondary schools in Yenagoa.
“Our mandate is to promote professionalism, ethical journalism, and unity among media practitioners, while partnering with stakeholders to advance truth, development, and accountability in our society,” he stated.
He disclosed that the Chapel is organizing a sensitization program for selected secondary schools themed, “Menace of Drug Abuse, Cultism, Cybercrime and the Future of Bayelsa Students.”
“As media practitioners saddled with the responsibility to inform, educate, and entertain the public, we consider it our duty to address vices plaguing our schools and equip students with the right values for a better future,” Amgbare said.
