By Ragan M. Conteh
The Director General of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Egbanda Kapuwa, has clearly informed Members of the Oversight Committee on Information in Parliament that one of the challenges faced by the Corporation is the failure by State House, Parliament and almost all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to pay for the services they enjoy from his institution.
According to the Director General, his institution is currently being crippled as a result of the huge debts from institutions of government, which are not paying what they owe the SLBC since he was appointed into that office.
He made the disclosure on Monday 31st August, at the new Administrative Building, during the presentation of his status report to the Information and Communication Committee in Parliament.
DG Egbanda Kapuwa reiterated that all the live coverage, they do for State House, Parliament and other MDAs programs, have not been paid for over the years.
“It has been the major stumbling block to the transformation drive of the institution,” DG Kapuwa said.
What is the more burning issue, the Director General explained, is that the entire institution is understaffed. It has less than 20 reporters across the country, and that most of the reporters and staff across the country are volunteers who are not paid. He went on that there are over 10 vacancies in the institution, which are yet to be filled.
“As I am speaking, I am a Masters holder in Mass Communication. And there are staff in my institution who are still receiving monthly salaries of Le500,000, while others are far below this amount. Even the Station Manager in Makeni branch is still receiving Le500,000 monthly to date. This is a huge challenge as an institution,” DG Kapuwa cried to MPs.
He pointed out that most of their managers and presenters do not have mobility.
“Some are using motorcycles (Okada), or paying taxis to attend functions of state institutions. The SLBC has no vehicles; three years on the institution is still crippling with mobility,” he stressed.
The DG revealed that, through his transformative drive, he has been able to uplift the SLBC’s property at Leicester Peak, which has been neglected in recent years.
“We cannot generate much needed revenue to upkeep our institution, because we have chunks of debtors who have to pay the institution. The running cost of the institution is huge for us. We need resources to be able to do more,” the DG also said.
The DG Kapuwa disclosed that, in spite of the enormous challenges faced by the institution, their spirit is not dampened to do their work effectively. He vowed to continue with the good spirit to ensure good service delivery.
He appealed to the Committee on Information and Communication in Parliament to help salvage the situation, as such barriers are stagnating the effectiveness of the SLBC.
The Finance Manager of SLBC, Madam Exzendral Blake, informed the community that the institution was given a budget of Le1.37 billion in 2019, but they only received Le317 million, citing that, since this started, no money has yet been disbursed to the SLBC in the first and second quarters of 2020.
She also highlighted how the lack of adequate funds have stagnated the institution’s effectiveness.
In her submission, Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay from Moyamba District who is a member of the Committee on Information, expressed thanks to the DG of SLBC, Egbenda Kapuwa, for his eloquent and honest presentation to the Committee.
She said she very much admires the DG, for looking at MPs of the Committee in their faces and told them that Parliament and State House have to pay SLBC, adding that this is the most admired government worker in the country.
She however ordered the DG to formally write to Parliament and ask its members to honor their obligations to the SLBC and all other MDAs, including State House, to pay their debts.
Hon. Veronica informed that the SLBC is doing extremely well and should not be starved, thereby preventing the institution’s management from effectiveness and efficiency.
The Member of Parliament from Tonkolili District, Hon. Hassan Sesay, frowned at debtors of SLBC, adding that all those institutions should pay. He assured the DG of SLBC of their Committee’s support to ensure that all MDAs, that owe SLBC, pay.
Hon. IB Kargbo, PC Kanagbaro, Hon. Latiff and many others expressed their dissatisfactions for the huge sums of monies owed by MDAs, including State House and Parliament, to SLBC. They assured that their community will be collaborating with the Management to ensure that all pay their debts.