HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF RADIO KWARA

HISTORY OF RADIO KWARA

Ilorin was the first location in Kwara State where broadcasting services were provided by the Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation (also known as “Radio Kwara”). These services began in 1956 as a relay station. In those days, people referred to it as the provincial broadcasting house.

 

The one quarter kilowatt (kW) medium wave transmitter that was employed at the time could only reach an area within an eight kilometer radius of Ilorin.

 

However, the Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation as it is now was not one of the beneficial byproducts of the first state to be created in Nigeria. It did not come into existence until the adoption of the Kwara Edict No. 3 of 1979, but it took effect back on April 10th, 1978.

 

Due to the state of Kwara’s topography, it was decided that it should be covered with both medium and shirt wave transmitters when it was created in 1967. This was part of a larger master plan that was developed and approved for the entire nation at the same time. This plan was based on the number and capacity of transmitters as well as the mode of transmission that were to be sited in each new state.

 

These facilities wave put into use is from 19th December, 1976; however, as a result of a directive from the federal government, the short wave transmitter was shut down in 1976. Instruction work began in 1974 in the modern studio/broadcasting house at the 10kw short wave and 20kw medium wave transmitting station sites. On April 1st, 1978, a decree was issued in camphene with the federal government that transfers all radio Nigeria stations on the state to their respective host states. On September 5, 1978, Mr. Horation Agedoti of radio corporation in Lagos reframed the formal handing over of the station by the NBA to the Kwara state government. At that time, all of the existing staff members were given the option of either continuing to work for corporation or moving on to work for Federal Radio Corporation. Those employees who made the decision to remain on staff were kept.

 

At the time of the takeover by the state government, the state already possessed a broadcasting house and a transmitting station that were located at their current locations. The two inherited ten kW transmitters were both very old; in fact, by the time the station was taken over in 1978, only one of the transmitters was functioning adequately.

 

The decree that transferred the federal radio station in Ilorin to the government of the state of Kwara in 1978 allowed the federal government to boost the transmitting capacity of Radio Kwara, which was a service of the Kwara state government. After then, the station emitted two medium-wave signals of 50 kilowatts each at Budo Eko. As a result of this turn of events, the state government gave its stamp of approval to a suggestion made by the corporation to build four imported 10 kW medium wave transmitters in the periphery area of what was then the state of Kwara in order to ensure adequate coverage. The Egba title was bestowed to two of them. One of them was located at Okike, close to Okene (both of which are now in Kogi State), and the other was located at Koro, in New Bussa (which is now in Nigeria Skew). Each of the three stations that had been reserved was eventually built and put into operation.

 

Despite the enormous progress, the transmitting stations at Bin Do Eko suffered a major setback in 1991 when the 840-foot tower mast was damaged by a lightning strike. This occurred despite the fact that the stations had made enormous achievements. When you take into consideration that the transmitting station had by that point become an essential component of radio kwara and a reliable ally in the fulfillment of its statutory obligation, this situation became a significant obstacle that needed to be addressed immediately.

 

Between the years 2000 and 2002, efforts were made to resurrect the station. As a result of these efforts, a new tower mast and a 50 kW thom cast transmitter were installed so that normal broadcast could resume. In spite of the efforts made by the administration of Alhaji Mohammed Lawal, there was still an insufficient amount of transmitter. On the other hand, the government of Dr. Bukola Saraki, who took office in May 2003 and immediately began renovating the station, awarded a contract for the provision of contemporary studio equipment and an additional 50Kw Harris transmission, bringing the total cost to nearly #300,000,000.

 

Due to this one-of-a-kind breakthrough, “Radio Kwara” has become not only one of the few radio stations in Nigeria with digital studios installed, but also one of the first stations in Nigeria to comply with the global directive in converting from analogue to digital broadcasting.

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