Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The Zamfara State Government has settled the N25 million outstanding licence renewal debt owed by the state Broadcasting Corporation (Zamfara Radio) to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
The state Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, who made the disclosure in a statement issued to journalists in Gusau, the state capital, on Sunday, said the debts had accumulated since 2017.
The Zamfara State Radio was among the 52 broadcasting stations which operating licences the NBC threatened to revoke over accumulated debts.
But Dosara said Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle gave the approval for the immediate payment of the N25 million to the commission last week to avert the shutdown of the state media organization.
The commissioner explained that the state government had already paid N5 million out of the initial N37 million debt into the account of the commission last year.
He said the remaining N25 million which had been paid into the commission’s account Friday, last week, was part of the government’s commitment to sustain cordial working relationships with the NBC and media organisations.
Dosara reiterated that Governor Matawalle is committed to ensuring that the people of the state are fully informed of government programmes and policies for the development of the state.
The commissioner said: “Our governor is committed to meeting people’s expectations and exceeding such, and this can also be likened to the way he promptly paid off the UBEC counterpart fund, which led to several achievements in the sector.
“Governor Matawalle, who just won national honour award from the government of Niger Republic and other honours from Togo University and the Kaigaman Ghana traditional title, is a clear demonstration of him being an ‘Exceptional Governor’.
“The governor has been releasing funds to various sectors of the state economy to ensure smooth running of his government with dividends of democracy reaching all the nooks and crannies of the state.
“I therefore want to use this medium to urge people of the state to always put Zamfara first in all their dealings and as well cooperate with the Governor Bello Matawalle-led administration to take the state to its greater height.”
