NTA Yenagoa visits NCDMB, seeks support

The management of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Yenagoa on Tuesday paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Wabote at the Board’s corporate headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The NTA delegation was led by the General Manager of the station, Barrister Emeka Okpala.

The GM expressed happiness for the opportunity of meeting with the Board’s management, noting that the visit was necessary to convey NTA’s appreciation for the enormous support the Board has been giving to NTA Yenagoa and other forms of partnerships with NTA network stations.

Mr. Okpala stated the NCDMB/NTA Science Quiz Competition for secondary schools, which has been wholly funded by NCDMB for five years running has given NTA Yenagoa significant visibility within south/south region of Nigeria. He noted that the Board’s warm disposition and support for NTA Yenagaoa is both exemplary and legendary, calling on other Government Departments and Agencies in Bayelsa to emulate the worthy examples of NCDMB. He asked the Board to continue to sponsor the science quiz programme as it is a useful vector to promote interest in the study of mathematics, science and technological education among young people.

Okpala draw the Executive Secretary’s attention to a number of challenges plaguing his station, including the lack of a generating set to ensure regular power supply to support transmission and dissemination of information.

In his response, Wabote thanked the management of NTA Yenagoa for the visit and interest in collaborating with the Board. He noted that NTA plays a crucial role in public enlightenment considering it wide reach. He explained that since both organizations are federal government agencies in the state, it was expedient to build necessary collaborations to promote government policies, programmes and the mandate of their respective agencies. He noted that it was such consideration that motivated the Board to move its Nigerian Content Weekly TV Programme from Channels Television to NTA for over one year now.

Wabote empathized with NTA Yenagoa on some of the challenges highlighted. He promised to find time to visit NTA premises to see things for himself. In the interim, the Executive Secretary directed the General Manager, Capacity Building in the NCDMB, Dr. Ama Ikuru to liaise with the management of NTA Yenagoa to determine a suitable location for the Board to establish an ICT centre within their premises and promised that a generating set would be donated to the station to enhance their operational efficiency.