I’m determined to use VON to unleash Nigeria’s positive narratives to the world — DG, VON

The Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Jibrin Ndace was appointed six months ago. In this chat with GBENGA SALAU, he spoke on the journey, his plans and Nigeria’s democracy.

Nigeria has experienced uninterrupted 25 years of democracy in this dispensation, how do you access this journey so far? 
Democracyis not a sprint race, it is a marathon; it is a journey. Nigeria has remained consistent in deepening its democracy, getting better at every election even when clearly the world didn’t really give us a chance.

If you recall, there were many agitating moments. First was during the first four years of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Even his second tenure, many people didn’t give us a chance. And then the first transition of civilian to civilian democracy, which was in 2007, when President Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to Musa Yar’adua, it was a very agitating moment. But we also recall that when President Yar’adua took ill and died in office in 2010, it was also another very agitating moment, but we survived it. And President Goodluck Jonathan emerged, with another cycle of election in 2011, and President Jonathan won the election.

Of course, if you recall, 2015 elections many predicted that it was going to be the end of Nigeria, that didn’t happen. Nigeria conducted the election and for the first time in the history of many African countries, there was a peaceful election and it was the first time that a sitting president would lose an election, yet he put a call to the person who succeeded him even before the results were announced.

It was unprecedented and President Mohammed Buhari did his eight years, between 2015 and 2023. We know all the processes leading to the last general election. And President Bola Ahmad Tinubu and Kashim Shettima emerged as President and Vice President of Nigeria and they won convincingly against other top contestants that include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State.  

For me, Nigeria’s democracy you may think it is just 25 years, but it has come of age. There are things that the world didn’t give us a chance about; even some Nigerians didn’t give themselves that chance that we have scaled through.

Even the 2023 election, people thought it was going to be a disaster, but we thank God that the president emerged in a free and fair election. So, it has been a great journey. In this country, there is an unseen development in democracy that many will miss out. And this trajectory is what happens in many countries even in the United States, with over 200 years democracy now. It is the fact that many who emerged president in their initial years of democracy were mainly military generals. If you do not have military training you cannot contest as president. In 1999, it was a former head of state that was elected President of Nigeria, and in between then and now, another head of state also emerged.

But for the first time, if you would look at the trajectory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you’ll see a former senator, a governor, a party leader and now president. So, it is safe to say that he is somebody who is well experienced in Nigeria’s politics both at the national, sub-national and legislative levels.

Also, the vice president, Kashim Shettima, was the governor of Borno State, and a senator. And the records are there for both the president and vice-president.

So, we are lucky as a country to have a president and vice president, who know what it takes to lead a diverse nation like Nigeria. We can see clearly in the president’s approach to leadership. First, a modern leader leading a complex nation like Nigeria must be courageous in taking decision and he has been from day one.

What is also unique about his style of leadership is that it is very difficult to find those who own up that there will be challenges, but he did, but very certain that solutions are going to be readily available. Thus, we should congratulate ourselves as a nation, especially what is happening to democracy particularly within the sub region.

In the last five years, there had been re-insurgence of military interventions in the West Africa sub region, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, etc. But Nigeria has always continued to play a leading role and I am glad that Nigeria remains an example to other African countries around the world.
It has been six months that you came on board, so can you give an insight on how the journey has been in terms of challenges, what you have done so far and plans to make things better?

I was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, August 19, 2023, and I resumed on October 23, 2023. I was very clear that I was going to meet some challenges being an industry person. So, to some certain extents, I knew some of these challenges that would come and I think the first major challenge was the place of Voice of Nigeria (VON) within the public broadcast institutions but even among media organisations in Nigeria, Africa and around the world.

Also, where was the place of Voice of Nigeria at independence? Where was it in the 1990s? Where was it in the 80s? Where was it at the emergence of 4th republic democracy? Where should it have been? Where are its peers? Voice of America, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and other broadcast institutions.

Therefore, I was very clear about what I needed to do and it is to reposition Voice of Nigeria, reaching out to partners in Nigeria and across the world, building new partnership and collaboration with similar organisations both in Nigeria and around the world. This is because I know that one of the strength of Voice of Nigeria is actually partnership and collaboration.

One of the things I also discovered was the morale of the personnel and I’m determined about motivating them, looking at training and other opportunities. Another major challenge we faced as a nation is perception because when you travel, either as a private citizen or a government worker, how you are treated is likely depended on how the nations that you visit perceive you.

I discovered that the role of Voice of Nigeria is even more important than ever before in terms of creating positive image about Nigeria and Nigerians, Africa and Africans. There is no country that you go that you won’t find a Nigerian but sometimes, the narratives that go out about Nigeria are sometimes from Nigerians who might have done something out of ignorance or mistakes but that is the narrative they identify us with.  

As Director General, working with my team, I’m determined to use all our platforms to unleash positive narratives and discard fake news and the likes. We are not saying that Nigeria is a perfect country, as no country in the world is, but there are also economies in the world that cannot survive without human resources of Nigeria, go to United States, how many Nigerians are there? Go to United Kingdom, or Canada, Saudi Arabia, Germany, there is no continent you won’t find Nigerians in all professions; footballers, entertainers, and many more.

Who is telling this story? We need to be very deliberate, intentional to create believable and truthful narrative about our country and I want Voice of Nigeria to fit into that agenda. And what I have done in the last six months is to be reaching out to embassies, and all over where we have existing partnerships. I’m determined working with my team to help in changing narratives. For instance, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is taking many courageous, but costly steps to reposition our economy. We need to let the world know, we must be very deliberate about telling those stories and the good things that are happening. Dangote Refinery is being handled by a Nigerian billionaire, who is telling that story? We need to tell the story of Air peace, who is trying to break the monopoly of international airlines. Who will tell those stories? If Dangote is investing in Zambia or in other parts of the world, who is telling that story?

The Nigerian armed forces are all over peace keeping operations in Gambia, Guinea and other parts of Africa who will tell the world? So, we must be very deliberate. Nigerian students are doing well, first class everywhere they go, either at undergraduate or master’s level. Our military and police officers in trainings are doing well, who will tell those stories?

Voice of Nigeria, under my leadership and working with my team, wants to take the lead in telling Nigeria and Africa’s story. I intend to bring back the respectability that Voice of Nigeria always enjoy in Nigeria and outside Nigeria, by leading in terms of telling not just Nigeria’s story, but Africa’s story. Our fore fathers were very clear about what they wanted to achieve as the leading Africa and most important country.

Thus, I am very clear where I want to put VON. It is to continue to expand the horizon. For instance, looking at the global trend, I intend working with my team to also start broadcasting in Portuguese, and other languages.

Does VON have programmes tailored to the activities of Nigerians in the diaspora?
Yes, I inherited some programmes but I have gone beyond that. About three months ago, I visited my sister and senior colleague, Abike Dabiri, and we had a very fruitful discussion because Voice of Nigeria as a public broadcast is a platform for public diplomacy and one of our agreements was to deepen and start a new programme tailored towards Nigerians in diaspora.

How does the DG plan to leverage social media platform to enhance communication and engagement specifically considering the shift away from traditional media?
I inherited traditional and modern platforms and from day one, I said looking at the peculiarity of our nation, its diversity and purchasing power, I am not going to abandon the traditional platform, but we must ensure that we move with global trends.I am working with our team and others to ensure that we expand the horizon. We don’t just want to put stories out there; we must engage our younger brothers and sisters.

What I have also done as Director General is engagement with all interns and NYSC members serving with VON on monthly basis and on their own, many of them have offered and engaged with me on what I need to do. What VON needs to do to encourage younger Nigerians of their own generation to really follow VON and I really like it.

And I have very young people in my team. Some of them are here with me they are people who help in offering advice in what I need to do going forward to get the younger people. Because we must be frank, the world has changed. In the past, people could wait for 7pm to listen to news, but any more. While we maintain the traditional platform, we must embrace the digital platforms and in doing it, we must do it well, not just to scratch the surface. We must get the best hands, we must work with the team, we must empower the people to do it. So, it is what I am focusing on and it is so important, germane as I want to ensure that I take it to the next level in terms of manpower, people, and what we need to do to get more people on board, drive traffic on how we engage.

We don’t just put stories like I said on the platform. We look at the best practices around. What do we need to do differently? And part of what I am also doing is that at every point I tell our people, if you are a modern reporter, you must also be a photographer because every report should be a convergence of text, audio, and video.

And I want to really continue to be advocating through partnership to ensure that we are known, and people reckon with us, and be a platform that they believe in Nigeria and around the world.

In terms of welfare and conducive environment for the staff, what is the plan?
Like I said, when I was appointed, the first week of my appointment, I visited the Lagos office and I made it very clear in my speech at the headquarters, Ikoyi and Ikorodu. When I got back to my hotel after visiting the Lagos offices, even though I was staying in a very cozy environment, I was depressed and couldn’t sleep throughout the night because of the obvious challenges that I saw. But what is very inspiring to me is the determination you find in people coming to do their work daily either in Lagos or in Abuja.

We will look at the Lagos office, which has been left for a long time and not given the desired attention. I have made a promise that as Director General, I would be regular in the Lagos office. So, welfare is on the agenda and I am very determined to strategically, gradually, systematically, try to address the issue.