Ali Muhammad Ali, the Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria, on Friday expressed displeasure over theft of the agency’s content by non-subscribers.
He said this while in his six months assessment of the Lagos office during an interactive session with the staff.
Ali said some of the saboteurs were already known, adding that measures were in place to go after them.
He said those in the habit of sabotaging efforts of the management did not mean well for the agency.
He said: “Our legal department will go after them.
“We will hit them hard.”
The MD said management had also adopted internal security measures against vandalism and facilities’ theft within the Lagos office.
Ali assured of the management’s commitment to staff welfare and provision of a decent work environment in the agency.
He said vandalised and stolen cables, which also led to the disruption of power supply within the Lagos’ office premises, were more than N4 million.
“Unless we adopt effective security measures the cables will keep being vandalised,” he said.
Ali said the management would also adopt renewable energy options, including solar, pending the reinstallation of the cables.
He said that the theft of the cables was a “serious sabotage” by perpetrators.
He said it was saddening that after the cables were replaced, they were stolen again several times, hence the need for more security measures by the agency’s management.
The Managing Director, who promised to upgrade workstations based on availability of funds, called for attitude change among workers for more efficiency and productivity.
“Strong institutions are driven by ideas, not politics,” he said.
Ali said that his assessment in the last six months was that the Lagos office had issues with insecurity, under-performance and disunity among staff.
He warned workers against sabotaging the interest of the agency and urged senior level management staff to adopt measures to enforce discipline at all levels.
He said that though, as mortals, people were bound to make mistakes, staff of the agency should understand the government’s bureaucracy and channel complaints appropriately.
He urged them to acquaint themselves with current technological advancement in the ever evolving media space so as not to become irrelevant with the emergence of Artificial intelligence.
“You either innovate or you wither,” he said.
The Head of Lagos Operations, Kayode Olaitan, commended the MD for ensuring optimal performance of the Lagos office in spite of challenges.
Olaitan said the purpose of the MD’s visit was to check on staff, redirect them and provide an enabling environment for optimal performance.
He said the Lagos Office under his leadership was undergoing restructuring promising more vibrant operations before the MD’s next visit.
Earlier, Deji Fadipe, the chapter Chairman, Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union of Nigeria, praised the managing director for reforms that impacted workers positively.
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Fadipe used the occasion to remind the managing director of other needs in the agency.
“Let’s give this management the needed support,” he said.
Staff from various departments also raised their concerns that were also addressed by the MD.
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