A frontline NGO, the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has poured encomiums on the Nigerian Government for maintaining stability in the running of the publicly-funded Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

In a statement jointly authorised by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Director of Media, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said it was particularly delighted that NTA has been left “in the hands of vastly experienced management team who have garnered formidable technocratic and technical expertise that have driven the broadcasting house to an enviable height.”

According to the rights group, NTA has over the last few years under both Alhaji Usman Magawata and the Acting Director General Mr. Musa Mayaki made landmark achievements and have sufficiently equipped the establishment to compete favorably with some of the best media institutions globally. HURIWA canvassed grater support for the NTA by both the Federal Government and the National Assembly. It urged government not to contemplate using political barometer in deciding top flight appointment in NTA because according to it, experience is the best teacher in the media profession globally.

According to HURIWA: “We are aware that in the last few years under the immediate past and current managements, Nigerian Television Authority had launched new specialised channels namely News; Sports; Educational and entertainment to meet with the increasing sophisticated demands of the wide spectrum of viewers globally just as the current management has won laurels from the National Assembly for financial prudence.

“NTA has installed a suite of broadcast automation software and hardware known as wonder cube which is a software application meant to computerise and automate various aspects of the television broadcast chain and the NTA wonder cube system consist of a six channel automatic play out system; Newsroom computer system; a media asset management and archiving system; a compliance recording system and an ingest system.”

HURIWA said a study team set up by it made these discoveries about the high technological advancement of NTA. It therefore called on President Goodluck Jonathan “to maintain the stability that his administration has institutionalised in NTA by not capitulating to the overwhelming politically-motivated pressures to bring in strange hands to run the NTA at this time.”

•Photo shows NTA Acting Director General Mr. Musa Mayaki.

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