A privately-owned radio station in Ebonyi State, Legacy FM, has suspended its Acting General Manager, Mr. Godfrey Chikwere, over alleged repeated negative remarks about Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, and his policies, both on-air and on social media.
The station’s management, in a statement on Saturday, said Chikwere’s actions were in violation of Legacy FM’s code of conduct.
They accused him of consistently portraying the governor and his administration in an unfavourable light, prompting the decision to relieve him of his duties.
It said, “The management of Legacy FM 95.1, The Sound of Now, hereby suspends the acting General Manager, Godfrey Chikwere, with immediate effect, till further notice.
“This is due to unruly behaviour and disobedience to the code of conduct guiding the Legacy FM.
“With such effect, he is hereby directed to hand over all the company property in his position to the next senior officer.”
The radio personality, in a post on his Facebook page on Friday, called on the governor to be stringent in his handling of state matters.
He alleged that public perception of the governor’s administration was being cajoled, while also claiming Nwifuru’s administration was marred by poor communication, underperformance by his appointees, and a lack of clear-cut policy direction.
Chikwere also advised the governor to “step on toes” to achieve results, adding that the current state of affairs weakened his support base.
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Reacting, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Monday Uzor, criticised the suspended radio staff member over what he described as undue criticisms of his boss’s administration.
In a statement on Friday, Uzor described the criticisms as baseless and unfounded, accusing the former of ingratitude for attacking the governor despite what the state government had done for them.
He said, “It is regrettable that despite the radio station thriving only on government support, the supposed helmsman dedicates a greater percentage of the station’s airtime to attack and run down the government whose support has kept his medium afloat.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the governor gifted the medium a brand new Changan SUV, donated a brand new transformer that powers the station, and constructed the road leading to the broadcasting house.
“But rather than give at least balanced coverage of government activities, it has been turned into a slaughter house of the governor’s genuine development efforts and goodwill, what a way to be ungrateful to good deeds.”
On his part, the state Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi State, Ikeuwa Omebeh, also condemned Chikwere’s criticisms of Nwifuru, describing them as “derogatory and inciting.”
In a statement on Saturday, the commissioner accused him of “overstepping his bounds.”
He said his remarks against the governor were unacceptable and an affront to the collective identity of all the people of the state.