ATIKU UNIVERSITY: NIGERIAN TELEVISION AUTHORITY BLAMES TECHNICAL HITCH FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT

Similarly, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) is a government-owned and funded media, under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while the top management staffers are government appointees who hold office at the discretion of the government in power.

Penpushing reports that, Atiku Media Office, alleged that the station deliberately and under instruction from the Presidency, refused to broadcast live, the 13th anniversary ceremony of the American University of Nigeria, Yola because of ‘conspiracy at work from the headquarters of the federal government owned television station and working the script of the Federal Government and President Muhammadu Buhari.”

However, in reaction to the allegation, the Director-General of the station, Yakubu Mohammed, said the station was “compelled to react to the misinformation from the Atiku Media Office,, adding that, “this is not only far from the truth but very uncharitable’,.

He further stated, “while it is true that NTA received payment for the live coverage, it is also true that the NTA mobilised and deployed its Outside Broadcast crew from Jos to Yola for the coverage’.

“The crew from Jos got to the location in good time and carried out equipment test and as well uplink and downlink test which confirmed that the signals are in good condition. Few hours to the event DOMSAT (Domestic satellite station at NTA Headquarters) called to report of not receiving Signals. But the uplink was sending out adequate power while DOMSAT was not receiving the signal’.

“All the uplink equipment are in good working conditions and the downlink equipment also in good working condition. The only factor is the satellite service provider, INTELSAT. DOMSAT had made similar report which the Head of SATCOM had sent a report to INTELSAT and we are awaiting the report’.

‘This is a new development and new challenge which we would look at critically and localize the fault and ensure it does not reoccur. It should however be noted that the NTA transmitted the AUN event soon after it overcame the technical glitch it experienced.”

The Director General explained further that  the television station was not being dictated to by the Presidency, adding, “NTA wishes to inform Nigerians that it has never been dictated to by the Presidency in the course of discharging its responsibility since the current management came on board.

“The NTA also wishes to appeal to politicians to please leave it out of politics. NTA is a public broadcaster that belongs to all and will discharge its mandate according to the law establishing it,” he said.