The governor of Nigeria’s Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was a June 12 activist, recalls the establishment and operation of the clandestine shortwave station Radio Kudirat in 1995. He writes in The Nation:
“We started the radio with a two half-hour broadcast but reports back from Nigeria indicated that the 7125 kHz, 41-meter was not clear and that the half-hour be converted to one single hour broadcast. The World Radio Network was able to assist us in obtaining 6205 kilohert on the 49-meter band. Time of broadcast was 8pm Nigerian time. I was responsible for driving the operations.
“We used a foundation as a front, the Media Empowerment for Africa Foundation with late Chief Anthony Enahoro as the chairman of the board, Professor Wole Soyinka as a member, Mr Johnson as Editor of Radio Kudirat Nigeria and myself as Secretary-General of the Foundation, which was registered in Norway. We recruited two people in Nigeria, set up one office in each of the geo-political zones, maintained secret operations in Benin Republic and Ghana.
“Radio Kudirat broadcast in 14 Nigerian languages. We had a Jumat broadcast on Fridays and one for Christians on Sundays. The Hot-Seat was for special interviews. When we returned to Nigeria, we had made attempts to register Radio Kudirat, but the National Broadcasting Corporation was reluctant in issuing the license. Today, the enthronement of democracy has shown that our struggle was not in vain…”
