NEDC Donates 130 Airport Trolleys, Broadcast Equipment To North-East Airports, FRCN

The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated 130 luggage trolleys to airports across the North-East region and supplied broadcasting equipment to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) as part of efforts to support rebuilding and development in the region.

Speaking during the handover ceremony in Maiduguri, Borno State, the Managing Director of the NEDC, Muhammad Alkali, said the intervention was aimed at strengthening critical institutions and improving services in the region after years of insurgency and conflict.

Alkali explained that the commission consulted with stakeholders before procuring the items to ensure they addressed specific needs.

“We are here as part of our mandate to support the rebuilding process in the North-East. From the beginning, we have been collaborating with the media because everyone needs information,” he said.

According to him, the equipment donated to the FRCN was carefully selected following consultations with the organisation to identify its priority needs.

He added that the support extended beyond the media sector, noting that the commission had also partnered with security agencies, including the police and military.

On the airport support initiative, Alkali said the 130 trolleys would be distributed among the six North-East states to improve passenger convenience at airports.

He said Borno State would receive 30 trolleys, while Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states would each receive 20.

“FAAN is another very important agency. We all travel through airports and have seen the challenges. We decided to address some of the immediate needs, starting with the supply of trolleys,” he stated.

Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director of the North-West Development Commission, Abdullahi Maji, who represented the NEDC management, formally handed over the broadcasting equipment to the FRCN.

The items donated included a 5KW transmitter with antenna system and installation, a six-bay broadband antenna, studio computers, a 16-channel professional console, distribution amplifiers, FM tuners, condenser microphones, drone cameras, lighting kits, routers, laptops, printers and other studio accessories.

Responding, the Director-General of the FRCN, Muhammad Bulama, commended the NEDC for the intervention, describing it as timely and impactful.

Bulama particularly praised the provision of solar power systems, saying it would significantly improve broadcasting operations across the North-East.

“With this support, our stations in the North-East can now broadcast between 12 and 15 hours daily,” he said.

Similarly, the Regional Manager of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) at Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri, Fatima Aliyu, expressed appreciation to the NEDC for the donation of the trolleys.

She noted that the equipment would ease the movement of passengers’ luggage and improve comfort at airports across the region.