A former staff member of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), Mr. Kayode Olagunju, has called on a close ally of Governor Seyi Makinde, Otunba Seye Famojuro, to facilitate urgent intervention in the affairs of the state-owned broadcast organisation, urging the Oyo State Government to engage all critical stakeholders separately in a bid to address the corporation's lingering challenges.
In an open letter made available to journalists, Olagunju, who said he served the corporation for nearly two decades, appealed to Famojuro to use his influence with Governor Makinde to initiate a sincere review of BCOS.
He recommended that the government hold separate consultative meetings with serving workers, management, pensioners, members of the governing board and former staff to obtain independent assessments of the corporation's situation and chart a sustainable path forward.
The former BCOS employee said his intervention was motivated by concern for the survival of an institution that has served as the voice of Oyo State for decades.
According to him, the corporation has continued to witness a decline in staff morale, accountability and operational efficiency despite increased government support over the years.
Olagunju questioned the utilisation of government subventions and annual budgetary allocations to the corporation, alleging that there were few visible capital projects to justify the expenditure.
He also expressed concern over the alleged prolonged non-remittance of statutory deductions, cooperative contributions, health insurance payments and union check-off dues deducted from workers' salaries, saying the situation had subjected employees to financial hardship and denied many access to benefits they had already contributed towards.
He further raised concerns over the management of the corporation's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), stating that workers had continued to demand greater transparency regarding the utilisation of the funds, particularly in the absence of significant investment in infrastructure, equipment, staff development and service delivery.
The former broadcaster also alleged that industrial relations within BCOS had deteriorated, citing disciplinary actions and redeployments involving labour leaders as developments that had created the impression that organised labour was being weakened rather than engaged through dialogue.
He equally criticised what he described as misplaced operational priorities, alleging that official vehicles were sometimes deployed for activities unrelated to broadcasting while reporters, camera operators and other operational personnel lacked transportation to cover official assignments.
While acknowledging Governor Makinde's achievements in infrastructure, education, healthcare and workers' welfare, Olagunju warned that the unresolved challenges confronting BCOS could tarnish the administration's reputation if urgent corrective measures were not taken.
Describing BCOS as one of Nigeria's foremost broadcast institutions that has produced many of the country's leading broadcasters and on-air personalities, he urged the government to restore accountability, transparency, professionalism and staff welfare within the corporation.
He expressed optimism that broad consultations with all stakeholder groups would provide government with an objective understanding of the issues and lay the foundation for comprehensive reforms capable of restoring BCOS to its former status as a leading public broadcasting institution.
