Discussing the lifestyle of a typical Hausa man cannot be complete without mentioning his attachment to radio. This hobby is as old as the origin of radio in Africa and the civilisation story of the Hausa man himself. With the creation of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria in 1933 by the British colonial government, named the radio diffusion service (RDS), enabled the general public the first opportunity to listen to the BBC foreign radio service broadcasts in different locations via loudspeakers.
The philosophical foundation the BBCHausa is not unconnected with its long survival and continued patronage by its many listeners. However, the number of staff it trained and injects into the Nigerian academic and social space keeps its glory intact. Why the BBC Hausa listeners develop a complete trust on all they hear on the station remains a topic for curiosity among many.
Many believed the balanced reporting and indept analysis exhibited by the BBC Hausa and its hard working staff is responsible for its acceptability among many radio listeners. A lot of listeners have acknowledge the excellent use of local language without iota of compromise as the main reason that attached them more with the BBC Hausa than other foreign radio station.
Others believe that the growing distrust of the local media gives a more leverage to the foreign radio stations to triumph and become more generally accepted compared with the local one. The foreign media is unbiased and give equal opportunity to all and sundry regardless of any inclination many have said.
A the most popular educative Ra’ayi Riga (different people different opinion) a weekly interactive programme where listeners debate with professionals who are carefully selected based on their relevance to the topic of discussion, pressing issues that directly affect the lives of the listeners, the economy, politics or social life has added to its popularity. Recommendations and way forward are proposed at the end of every Ra’ayi Riga programme. It’s always an opportunity to learn more.
The impact of what the BBC Hausa has been doing for over 60 years cannot be overstated. The range of its coverage and the calibre of people it serves will keep no one in doubt on how a radio can be used as a tool to educate and inform the most vulnerable people on earth. Radio is cheap and required no power, they are mostly battery-powered and the listener must not be literate in English. Hearing the testimonies of herdsmen in remote locations on how the BBC Hausa had been sharpening their ideas about local and international politics, economy and other vital information makes this station worthy for celebration.
The BBCHausa portal has brought more users to the fora of news flows over time. With the development in information technology and the rise in the use of social media especially among youth, the quality of service the station is known for, allows it to secure a big win in the digital media environment. The service is today having over 1.5 million and 184,003 followers on Facebook and twitter respectively, enough to be celebrated indeed!
We hope to see a more purposeful station, longer daily broadcast, more local content and many positive news!
Abdulmajid Lawan, Jos
