“For the man dies in all who keeps silent in the face of tyranny”- Wole Soyinka

As far as I can remember, I have known the National Broadcasting Corporation ( NBC ) to be an appendage of the Government. No joke- this is my new slang nowadays. Many may think I am making quite an allegation and I will prove it with this short story here.

Exactly 1st March 2019 was when JayFM in Jos, Plateau State was shutdown. This was after a few cases of Buhari’s administration in first term gagged the press and several literature, pieces and articles were put out to demand press freedom. I was one of those writers who chronicled several instances and timelines of journalists and their outfits gagged over the four year administration. My Editor then warned me to be careful of the consistency of those literatures until JayFM- my favourite radio station was given the axe by the same NBC, the only difference was that this was from the Jos division.

So I did some investigative journalism. I dived down to a trusted staff- I bet she knows herself and will most probably read this. Not like I trust her that much, but we worked together for a few months and she was the loyal staff or loyal servant so to say of her workplace. The investigation was purely oral; I asked her a few questions and rattled on like a detective. She eventually broke and told me JayFM was shutdown on the basis of an executive order from the Presidency directly.

Here is what happened, 25,000 votes of PDP were unjustly cancelled and the people of Jos, mostly known for their distaste against the APC and new love for PDP were angry, perturbed and very disturbed.

They didn’t want the gubernatorial election to go the way of the general elections. I can say that because I have published a few stories and conducted interviews during, before and after the 2019 General Elections. But the worst happened, the INEC officials planned a new trick off their sleeves and got the votes canceled at Kabon.

Read more: https://thebelltimesng.com/2019/06/11/the-conspiracy-of-silence/

Just that the zoo is not about to change