Appraising Uche Nworah’s Achievements At ABS Through The Eyes Of 2022 World Radio Day’s Sub-Themes -By Isaac Asabor

It is no more news to most radio listeners that every year, World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13 with the aim of underscoring the significance of radio. Despite the fast-paced technologically advancement of the world with easy access to the internet and other mediums of communication, the peculiar role of radio simply cannot be ignored. There are a lot of people, including this writer, that cannot only trust radio but also rely on it for the consumption of news and for entertainment purposes. To date, radio has remained a prominent platform to reach the masses, at least here in Nigeria.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to recall that the member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) first proclaimed the World Radio Day back in 2011. However, it was later adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day. Since then, February 13 has been observed as World Radio Day.

Be that as it may, it is salient in this context to note that the theme for the World Radio Day 2022 is “Radio and Trust”, and that the day is not easily remembered for celebration the same way other momentous events like Valentine’s Day are noted in diaries and reminisced for celebration.

However, in this context, it is expedient to say that the occasion of World Radio Day 2022, which prompted UNESCO to invite radio stations around the world to commemorate the 11th edition of the event, unarguably calls to mind the unprecedented achievements which Chief Uche Nworah has been recording since he became the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Awka.
The reasons that informed the foregoing view cannot be farfetched as his achievements in ABS incontrovertibly find expression in the theme for World Radio Day 2022, which is “Radio and Trust”, particularly in the three main sub-themes which are “Trust in radio journalism”, “Trust and accessibility” and “Trust and viability of radio stations”.

As to what informed the Sub-theme, “Trust in radio journalism”, UNESCO explained that the profession should be about giving out the right, well-researched, and verified information emphasizing that the people involved in the radio journalism industry must be able to produce high-quality content.

On his own part in Nigeria here while speaking on the significance of the day, Nworah, said Radio is important to social and economic development, and also plays the role of a companion in some homes and offices, adding that one may actually be alone but listening to the voices of favorite presenters on radio makes one feel as if he or she has company.

He added that “Radio is useful to businesses and organizations to market and promote their businesses, and ideas.

He said “The radio, for example the ABS, inform the people of what the government is doing and also help to explain government policies, adding that Radio serves as a feedback mechanism for government too as the officials listen to the phone calls and comments by listeners. In his write-up titled “State-Owned Broadcasting Stations and Media Ecosystem”, dated June 23, 2020, and posted on the Stations’ Facebook profile, he expressed his view on Content thus: “The disruption in the media sector has been unprecedented especially in the digital era. We no longer talk about broadcasting but digital broadcasting. The language spoken today is no longer that of programmes and programming but of content, content provision and distribution.

The present broadcast media eco-system in Nigeria poses huge threats but at the same time presents big opportunities for practitioners”.

In his comment on the celebration of the recent World Radio Day, the ABS boss explained that Radio also helps to entertain the people through the broadcasting of music, drama even as he used the opportunity to praise the courageous work of the hardworking staff of ABS and wish them a happy World Radio Day.

The second sub-theme which lays emphasis on trust and accessibility intends to bring into notice the need for accessibility of the information or news to different sections of society, and hammered on the need for each and every individual (including people with disabilities), and that they must be able to have access to the radio. Without resorting to overpraising “Ezeudo” as he is admirably hailed, it is expedient to say in this context that he has been on the forefront of enhancing the accessibility of information about Anambra State to “Ndi-Anambra” as his excellent administration as the MD/CEO of the ABS unarguably shows that he has taken radio broadcasting to the reach of a wider audience, and had done that by resorting to online streaming through Facebook, Youtube and Instagram channels, including ABS website (absradiotv.com).

The foregoing efforts were deliberately taken to ensure that some of ABS radio content satisfy the yearnings for Home Content by Ndi-Anambra in the diaspora and other target groups.

On another sub-theme of 2022 World Radio Day which emphasizes that the radio stations must ensure competitiveness and must be able to engage a wide audience, it is unarguable that the height of state of the arts which Uche Nworah has taken ABS to as its MD/CEO is that of not being a push over in the midst of radio stations across the country. Aptly put, he has taken ABS to an enviable digital height. It was unarguably based on this area of achievement that he wrote in the piece been referred to in this context thus, “In a free market place where the playing field is level, let the audience and advertisers determine that.

With the ongoing efforts by the Federal Ministry of Information to launch an audience measurement system, it will be easy to make objective judgements. Let the market determine which station survives and which goes under. After all, we cannot give all thumbs -up to all the channels on DSTV as having super contents.”
Pushing this view away from the personality of Ezeudo, it is applauding to say that even after decades ABS as far radio is concerned has remained one of the oldest, most popular, and most widely consumed news mediums in the State. It also plays an important role in delivering information about communities and governmental events. The foregoing further justifies the main motive behind starting World Radio Day as it allows people from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences to raise their concerns and voice their opinions.