Abbas Yushau Yusuf
Every ardent listener of Freedom Radio Know the name Nasiru Salisu Zango,the presenter of the popular Magazine programme called Inda Ranka together with his co-presenter Hajiya Jamila Gezawa.
The concept Development communication was profounded in the early 1960’s by the press foundation of Asia,by then most philliphine papers were reporting Government issues,what did the Government do,what the president says,what projects a Governor executed.
The Exponents of this School of thought ‘DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATIONS’ realised that Journalists should not only be the Friends of powers that be,but what happens to the people at the Grassroots, The hawker,The Leper,the downtrodden,the Less previlged in the society,those that cannot afford three square meals per Day and what have you.
Mass Communications is about messages communicated to a large number of people through the mass medium,example,Television,Radio,Newspapers,Now the Internet,Social Media and others.
The Impact of Radio among the people in Northern Nigeria cannot be over emphasised as i Knew many Individuals who are always glued to their Radios even on bed.
Journalists can make or mar the Society which they live as they are regarded as the Fourth estate of the realm after the Executive ,legislature and the Judiciary.
The Mass Media has an obligation as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The point iam trying to make here is that Journalists as profounded by the Scholars of Development communications asserts that they are the engine of change if they so desired and committed to their duties.
Inda Ranka Programme in Freedom Radio is run by Nasiru Salisu Zango and Hajiya Jamila Gezawa,this two Individuals are vigorously pursuing the right of the common man in the programme.
One clear Example was how some Sharia court Judges siphoned the heridetary rights of some orphans to the tune of 10 million Naira.
Nasiru Zango Did not allow sleeping Dogs to lie, as he made effort to expose the case of cornering the orphans money up to its logical conclusion.
This has irked many people including those at the helm of affairs,alot of people weeped when they heard the case of those orphans over the radio,and the uncovering of the heartless nature of those Khadis that tried to consume the right of those orphans.
Apart from the reportage of the atrocities of those that are saddled with the responsibilty of taking Judicial decision,Malam Nasiru Zango tend to air the demands of those in need,especially those who were fell by ill,Health and cannot afford Medical care,the moment their needs are heard ,Good people immediately come to their needs.
I could remember one time when he aired the agony of one young Man who secured admission to Study Medicine in one of the Federal Universities,and who cannot afford to pay the registration fees,immediately Nasiru Salisu Zango aired it,Good Samaritans come to his rescue and decided to pay all the expenses that can be incurred throughout his Studies.
There are many Instances where Nasiru Zango led to the rescue of Many individuals through the power of radio,
Journalists have a greater role to play in ensuring Good Governance in the society which they live but were constraint by the modus operandi of the System in Nigeria,where Government is always making effort to gag the press and to muzzle the media,which is very unfortunate.
People Forget Easily,FRCN Kaduna contributed immensely to the defeat of Biafra apart from Nigerian Governments engagement of Biafran Troops in the Battle Field,because then FRCN Kaduna Covers the whole west African Subregion, with the Slogan ”Keeping Nigeria one is the Task that Must be done” this is the power of Radio,
But what Nasiru Zango is doing to influence the decision making body and to help the common man can not be done in the Government owned media as ownership and control of media organisation come to play here.
That is why some communication scholars opined that media organisations should be in the hands of private individuals eventhough they too have their own vested interests.
It was first written on February 21 2014
