By TGNews
Once hailed as the leading FM station in Adamawa State, NAS FM, owned by Hinterland Communications Limited, now teeters on the brink of collapse, marred by allegations of nepotism, injustice, and gross mismanagement.
An investigation has uncovered a troubling decline in the station’s operations, with insiders accusing the board, led by Mr. Ya’u Babayi, of fostering a culture of favoritism and sidelining competent staff, reducing the once-thriving media house to a mere shadow of itself.
NAS FM, with stations in Yola and Mubi, was long celebrated for dominating Adamawa’s airwaves with top-tier news and programming. However, sources within the organization, speaking on condition of anonymity, paint a grim picture of a station plagued by internal strife and leadership failures.
The station’s owner, Dr. Mahmoud Halilu, is accused of having little understanding of media operations, allegedly hiring unqualified individuals to manage critical roles, a decision that has crippled the organization’s functionality.
“The owner never meant business,” one insider lamented. “He hired quacks who lack the expertise to run a media house, and now we’re paying the price for it.”
At the heart of NAS FM’s woes is the leadership of board chairman Ya’u Babayi, whose tenure has been marked by accusations of tribalism and favoritism. Insiders claim Babayi has secretly increased salaries and promoted individuals from his ethnic group to head departments, regardless of their qualifications.
These “Ya’u’s boys,” as they are referred to, reportedly wield unchecked influence, undermining the authority of the acting General Manager, Mr. Yusuf Kidafa.
“Kidafa is a figurehead,” a source revealed. “He can’t approve even a penny without consulting Ya’u’s boys. The station is being run by proxy, and it’s killing morale.”
The board’s alleged preference for cheap labor has led to further deterioration. In a shocking revelation, sources disclosed that NAS FM lacks competent engineers to maintain its multimillion-naira equipment. Instead, the station has resorted to employing uneducated gatekeepers as makeshift engineers, many of whom have resigned due to poor remuneration.
The unfair treatment of staff has taken a heavy toll. Employees, once proud of their roles in a vibrant media outlet, now exhibit a “nonchalant attitude” toward their work. Some have stopped showing up altogether, citing poor leadership and constant interference by board members.
“The board prioritizes loyalty over competence,” an employee stated. “If you’re not one of Ya’u’s people, your skills don’t matter.”
The station’s decline has sparked calls for intervention from labor unions and the Trade Union Congress to restore fairness and professionalism.
“We need someone to step in and save NAS FM before it collapses completely,” another staff member pleaded.
The allegations against NAS FM’s leadership raise serious questions about the state of private media in Adamawa. Once a beacon of journalistic integrity, the station now struggles to maintain its relevance amid accusations of nepotism and injustice.
As staff demand accountability, the future of NAS FM hangs in the balance, with its legacy at risk of being reduced to a cautionary tale of mismanagement.
It’s a call for a concern by this medium to penned a passionate call in an effort to address the issues. This can no doubt avert the looming breaking down and collapse of the station that surfaced to address huge gap created in radio journalism that its teaming listeners are unprecedented in Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba, Borno States and many provinces in the federal republic of Cameroon.
