From AIDOGHIE PAULINUS, Abuja
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service, Mr Wesley Ediri, has said that the media outfit is not going to be handled by only police officers, but core professionals, even civilians.
Ediri however said some police officers would be seconded to the maiden police broadcasting service to support the civilian staff.
Speaking with with Sunday Sun in Abuja on the readiness of the police media outfit to begin media activities, Ediri said they were set to kick-start soon across the 36 states of the federation.
He added that the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service, when it eventually commences broadcast, would focus on television, radio and online media.
The television station, he stated, would be strictly on security just like other international mediums like the Cable News Network (CNN) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Ediri also said the project was a private partnership with the police, saying that it was not a totally police affair in which the stations would be manned by police officers.
“This is a private partnership with the Nigeria Police and it is run by civilians and not the police. Though we have some policemen who would be seconded to us, theirs would be for provision of information about what is happening in the different local governments,” Ediri stated.
Ediri added that the media outfit is not about music, but about education, interaction, educating people in the society about security.
“And that is where you look at this part of it. You find it talking about ‘you see something and say something as well.’ That is, how to take precaution about what is going on in the society in terms of insecurity, in terms of kidnapping, yahoo yahoo, 419, how to be safe and keep Nigeria safe,” Ediri said.
Ediri also said the police media outfit would help to unravel security issues happening across the length and breadth of Nigeria, while also saying that it was a total departure from other existing broadcasting mediums.
The Nigeria Police Broadcasting Service, Ediri stated, would further enhance the services rendered by the police through the dissemination of information to the public either by educating the public, selling itself to the public or uniting the public.
“In one way or the other, the police had bad reputation. And to build it up, it has to take time. One of the fastest ways to build it up is through the social media, radio and television and we came up with this project,” Ediri said.