Why four of my six children are into broadcasting –Tom Adaba

When I was in the NTA in Jos I had the privilege to be given a study leave to go back to the US. I went to Indiana University. This was in 1978-1979. I did my Master’s degree in nine months and came back to Jos. This was when I was appointed principal of the […]

When I was in the NTA in Jos I had the privilege to be given a study leave to go back to the US. I went to Indiana University. This was in 1978-1979. I did my Master’s degree in nine months and came back to Jos. This was when I was appointed principal of the NTA Television College, Jos. After some six years when it had stabilised to fulfil the purpose of its establishment, I got my leave of absence to do my PhD. Having tasted what it was like to study abroad, I was determined to do this in Nigeria. Despite all the difficulties: getting the right books and so on, it turned out to be very successful. I got assistance by way of books from the United States Information Service (USIS), the British Council, and some other institutions. I was able to borrow books and some other materials to do my research. I was happy I did it in Nigeria. It was while collecting my PhD after defending my dissertation that the professors there said I was the first person in this country to have a PhD in Mass Communication. I wouldn’t have expected that because at that time, that’s 1989, it wouldn’t have occurred to me that institutions like the University of Lagos and the UNN Nsukka, which had long been offering Mass Communication, hadn’t churned out PhD holders. I thank God for the honour of possessing a PhD for my efforts. It’s an uncommon privilege.

You got your academic qualifications in short periods. You spent just nine months for your Master’s degree, for instance. How did you do it?

I spent one year and nine months for my first degree. It depends on what load you can carry. How long you stretch the study load is left to you, which isn’t what applies in Nigeria where you are tied to specific years to do your programmes. But even out there, the United States which sponsored my first degree congratulated me for finishing my first degree in record time. I equally crammed my Master’s degree programme into nine months but glory be to God that I lost nothing by way of quality of work that I did.

Could we go back a little? You started as an educationist. How exactly did you break into broadcasting?

When I was in the Advanced Teachers College in Kano I was involved in student union activities. I had to organize a cultural night for the Americans who were going because they actually gave that school as a gift of the American Government to Nigeria, Northern Nigeria specifically. They brought some staff who were running certain departments and faculties in the school. They were grooming some Nigerians to take over from them. As a student then, I organised this reception for some of them who were going and to welcome some who were coming in to teach in the school. What happened was God-ordained. This particular cultural night took place on a Saturday. The following Monday a statement appeared on the notice board saying that the leader of the group of Americans, the Chief of Party, wanted to see me. I went to him to introduce myself as Tom Adaba. He said although he didn’t attend the cultural night, he was told it was a knockout. He gave me pounds. Pounds in the ‘60s wasn’t easy money at all. He said we should use the money for our students’ union activities. (I deposited the money with the new student union president that this is what is given to us). Then he asked if it was possible to have such a programme recorded. As I did say, we had a closed circuit educational television studio in the school. He said I should go and meet one Kenneth Clark. I went to the studio and met one white man there. There evolved a discussion. It didn’t immediately occur to me that this man was interviewing me. He asked what I thought I could do for the TV studio in the school. I said it was up to him to tell me what to do.  We talked at length and he said I think I have found the person that I need. He asked if I could organize a student programme. Fortunately for me, there was a student election coming up. I told him we could organise a programme for those contesting for positions to deliver their manifesto, two minutes or so for each person. He accepted the suggestion and I went to work and within three days everything was set. He was highly impressed. That’s how I got into broadcasting. I started presenting and directing programmes for the school’s closed circuit television till he recommended me to the United States Government which gave me a scholarship to Ohio University to read Mass Communication.

How did you transit from academic broadcasting to mainstream broadcasting?

I was lecturing in ABU when one day a former colleague, late Professor Bello, who left ABU four months earlier to start the Benue Plateau Television, came to me in Zaria to ask whether I would like to be a part of it. I went for the interview and got the appointment. That’s how I started with the Benue Plateau Television; and remember, it was the television station in Jos and other state-owned television stations around the country that were converted in 1977 to what is today the Nigeria Television authority (NTA). I became an NTA staff automatically.

You were involved with many institutions in their early stages. Importantly, you were the pioneer director general (DG) of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) when it was established in 1992. How did you get there?

What is ordained by God can’t be changed by anybody. I told you I pioneered the television college in Jos from nothing. In 1989 when I finished my PhD, I was posted to the NTA headquarters in Lagos. In 1990, September 1990, I was posted to Benue State as the general manager (GM) of the NTA Makurdi. In 1991, in September of 1991, I was posted back to Lagos and upgraded to the position of deputy director. In April/May 1992, a directive came from the supervising ministry that NTA was to be downsized. Conditions were outlined for the trimming down of the staff roll. Someone somewhere felt that I fitted into those conditions although I fitted into none of them. My file had never been stained by any behaviour that could be traced to me. But, as a matter of fact, my name topped the list of names to be retired. I concluded that people existed who didn’t feel comfortable with the sight of me and would be relieved if I was retired. I didn’t even learn of it at first. It was the messenger who was duplicating the copies for circulation that came to me to say, ‘Oga, wetin you do these people now? They put your name down, they say they wan retire una. Na you be number one oh.’ I told him not to