By Victor Nwegede
The Ebonyi State Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC) was on the brink of collapse before its revival by Governor Francis Nwifuru, according to the station’s Director General, Comrade Tony Nwizi.
Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, Nwizi revealed that the television arm of the corporation had stopped functioning for years before the governor’s intervention.
"Our television has been digitalized, and I wonder how many states have functional, digitalized television houses," he said.
Nwizi explained that when he took over, the station operated on a feeble 0.7 kilowatt transmitter, but it now broadcasts at three kilowatts out of its available five.
“We have a 3,300-meter mast, second only to BC Umuahia in Nigeria,” he added, noting that their signals now reach as far as Lagos and even Southern Cameroon.
He praised Governor Nwifuru’s commitment, stating, “The governor is no stranger to the state’s needs—he was Speaker for eight years.
He saw that the radio and TV stations had collapsed and took bold steps to revive them.”
Beyond the broadcasting sector, Nwizi also highlighted the governor’s other achievements, including payment of backlogged gratuities, employment of civil servants, upgrades to the healthcare system, procurement of buses for public transportation, and the commissioning of EboCab.
“Honestly, Governor Nwifuru has performed above average,” Nwizi concluded.
