Waiya Faults ARTV’s Content Quality, Demands Reform
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO — Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, has expressed concern over the declining quality of programming and news production at Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTV), calling for urgent reforms to reposition the state-owned broadcaster.
Waiya made the remarks during an unscheduled visit to the station, where he said findings available to the ministry showed that ARTV was struggling to meet the expectations of modern viewers due to outdated content and poor production standards.
“A study has revealed that the television has now fallen short of viewer expectations due to stale contents and poor quality news production,” the commissioner said while addressing the management of the station.
He noted that the broadcasting landscape had evolved significantly, with audiences increasingly demanding interactive and digitally driven content.
According to him, ARTV’s inability to keep pace with these changes has weakened its competitiveness among television stations across the country.
“Unlike many stations that allow for real-time engagement and viewing at one’s discretion, ARTV is conservative and cannot compete with other television stations around the country,” Waiya stated.
He added that the situation was inconsistent with the development agenda of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration.
“The situation runs contrary to the Abba Kabir Yusuf administration’s policy, which believes and thrives on digital and modern operational practices in every sector of human development in the state,” he said.
The commissioner stressed that meaningful progress at the station would require proactive leadership and prudent utilization of available resources.
Waiya urged the management to prioritize staff development and invest in reforms capable of transforming the station’s operations.
“For the station to make meaningful progress, its management must be proactive in utilizing its annual budget for transformational purposes,” Waiya said. “It must pay attention to staff training and development to forge ahead.”
He further pledged to submit a special report to Governor Yusuf seeking intervention to accelerate the station’s digital transformation and improve its capacity to compete with its peers in the broadcasting industry.
“I will present a special report to His Excellency for a special intervention to pursue vigorous digital upgrade for the station and enable it compete favourably with its peers,” he assured.
The commissioner also charged the management to uphold transparency and accountability in resource utilization and personnel administration, describing effective management practices as essential to the station’s revival.
Responding, the Deputy Managing Director of ARTV, Malam Idris Abba Musa, acknowledged the challenges facing the organization, citing bureaucratic bottlenecks, inadequate staff training and limited digitization of facilities.
“The organization is grappling with operational challenges, including bureaucratic issues, inadequate training of staff and optimum digitization of the facilities at the station,” Musa said, while expressing optimism that government support would help address the challenges.
