By Abubkar Ojima-ojo
The Arewa Renaissance Group has called on the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos, to investigate the alleged recruitment of unqualified casual staff at the NTA Hausa Service.
The group’s coordinator, Umar Abba, made the appeal in Abuja following intelligence reports that some of the casual staff, reportedly recruited from restaurants in Apo Resettlement, had been assigned as newscasters without the requisite qualifications.
According to Abba, some of the individuals involved were found to be health workers rather than graduates of Mass Communication or English, raising concerns over professionalism and credibility in the station’s Hausa broadcasts.
He said, “It is disheartening that while many trained communication graduates remain unemployed, people without any media background are being picked from restaurants and made to cast news. The NTA Hausa Service has been turned into a playground for favouritism and scandal.”
Abba further alleged that one of the female recruits was introduced to a senior correspondent who used his influence to make her a newscaster, despite lacking the required skills. The situation reportedly worsened after the said correspondent attempted to befriend another casual worker, sparking internal disputes.
“The DG must act urgently to sanitise the system and restore decency to NTA Hausa,” Abba stressed.
He also expressed concern over reports that some of the female casual workers were allegedly using their positions to seek attention from influential male guests and personalities.
The group urged the NTA management to review all casual appointments, ensure merit-based recruitment, and uphold the professional integrity of the national broadcaster.
