The coast is now clear for the take-off of the terrestrial transmission of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Radio, 89.5 FM, as the University Management and staff of the Radio Station took delivery of a multi-million Naira broadcast and transmission equipment, purchased from the United Kingdom. The set of equipment, described as “Complete Digital Studio” by the Coordinator, FUNAAB Radio, Mr. Ayo Arowojolu, was delivered by Clyde Broadcast Products Limited, based in Glasgow, UK. Recently, FUNAAB Radio commenced online transmission.
According to Mr. Arowojolu, with the acquisition of the equipment, FUNAAB would be joining the league of the 27 universities with radio stations on the terrestrial platform. He said that the equipment is well trusted, because FUNAAB had acquired the equipment from source, as the gadgets came just at the right time when the University Management had just constituted the FUNAAB Radio Management Board with Professor Victor Olowe of the Agricultural Media, Research and Extension Centre (AMREC), as the Alternate Chairman. Other members of the Board include, Professor Kolawole Adebayo, Directorate of Grants Management; Professor Helen Bodunde, Communication and General Studies Department, College of Agricultural Management and Rural Development (COLAMRUD); Professor Eniola Fabusoro, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (COLAMRUD); Professor Biodun Badmus, Department of Physics, College of Physical Sciences (COLPHYS); Mrs. Emi’ Alawode, Directorate of Public Relations; Mrs. Atinuke Adiyeloja, Bursary Department; and the FUNAAB Radio Coordinator, Mr. Ayo Arowojolu, while Miss. Adeola Oke, Registry; is to serve as the Board’s Secretary.
On arrival, the Board’s Alternate Chairman, Professor Olowe, was at hand to supervise the receipt of the consignment, as he expressed great delight that the FUNAAB Radio project was at last coming into fruition. Also with him was the procurement team, led by the Head, Procurement Unit, Mrs. Francisca Aroyeun; and the Director, Internal Audit, Mr. Olufisayo Amubode. The Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ololade Enikuomehin, physically inspected the consignment and also went round the operating environment of the Radio Station and other ancillary facilities, assuring that Management would leave no stone unturned towards a speedy take-off of the station.
He stated that the primary philosophy behind the setting up of FUNAAB Radio was premised on the need to enhance stakeholders and campus communication with the use of technology that facilitates transmission and dissemination of the concerns, interests and activities of the academic environment to a large and heterogeneous audience. He listed the stakeholders to include, the ‘young at heart’, intellectuals, urbane professionals, community peasants, children and the court of public opinion. According to him, the station, at take-off, would be transmitting between 5.30am to 11.00pm on weekdays and as the station grows, there would be special package for weekends. Discussing the mileage and coverage area of the station, Mr. Arowojolu said that the station would work and transmit according to the dictates of the law, bearing in mind that the station would work under the National Broadcasting Commission’s regulations code. Above that, he also revealed that the station, within its possible limits, had recorded giant strides and great achievements as it commenced operations in May 2016, online transmission with unbelievable visibility in the public domain and reaching global audience.
Going by the Listener Statistics, auto-recorded by the online server provider, Source Fabric Airtime, a total of 1,186 listeners tuned to FUNAAB Radio in its first week of operation, from different parts of Nigeria with 799 listeners from United Kingdom, 65 from the United States of America, 13 from Canada, seven from Qatar and three from Belgium, among others, he added. Mr. Arowojolu thanked the University Management, under the leadership of Professor Ololade Enikuomehin, for his zeal towards actualising the dream, saying so far, more spaces had been allocated to the radio station in the Senate Building, for expansion and that recommendations for more hands for start-up operation had been forwarded to Management.
He described the relationship between students of the University and the radio station as symbiotic, as the students had been useful to the station, as their contributions had been effective and in some areas, saving the station some costs. While on the other hand, the station had served as training ground for students that had identified with it. Also, he said that FUNAAB Radio would stand the test of time and competition, among other radio stations already existing in the city of Abeokuta, by choosing its audience, reaching out to them and helping it mirror itself, to determine how well it was performing. He said that FUNAAB Radio would work to further realize the University’s tripodal mandates of teaching, research and extension, bearing in mind that it is a radio station in the University of Agriculture, which would also find a way of recreating agriculture and showcasing research breakthroughs by University scholars.
