Revealed: Why Tao FM Suspended Ozi Adayi

By Mr. Dee.

Broadcast media gives ample opportunities to people to attain heights of being publicly recognised. Through radio, many presenters have become celebrities, famous and publicly personalities. In Tao FM radio, after Balogun Omeiza David resigned, Isah James Adeiza became the next popular presenter, especially Ebira discussion programmes which earned him the recognition, through his on-air name, Ozi-Adayi.

For more than three weeks now, Isah James Adeiza has been missing on air for reasons not far-fetched. He was suspended.

However, the question that has remained on the mouths of listeners of Tao FM simply seeks to unravel the mystery behind his sudden disappearance. Where there is no information, rumour and grapevines thrive. Also, the recent quest of vilification embarked upon by the embattled presenter on Facebook called for necessary investigations into his case. In trying to get public sympathy, he resorted to linking his programme which criticized the non-payment of salaries by Kogi State Government as responsible for his suspension, translating to a sack.

In a recent post of his on facebook, he berated the radio as politically hijacked, tagging the General manager and some staff on defamatory statements. He also threatened fire and brimstone, to open coffers for revelations.

However, with few responses on his thread which was supposed to earn public sympathy, he deleted the posts, already munched as evidences. Isah James Adeiza is either an ingrate, or a dare devil for gross misconducts and insubordination to Dr Halimat Salihu (Big Ma’ma), the woman who took him as his son, till the point he filled his cup.

When he came for employment, he was a calm and neatly dressed job seeker. Shockingly, on the day of his interview, James appeared as unpresentable as one who had gone to the jungle for either a drug surgeon, or misdemeanor. He was sent out. Immediately, Big Ma’ma waded in with the excuse that he was probably from a journey, convincing Dr Tom Adaba to accept him, because he can deliver. He was employed automatically.

James was with Balogun Omeiza David as presenters, but refused to allow David head the programmes department, despite the plea from various quarters. The department never had a head till David left, and it was given to the very ambitious James.

Why then will Big Ma’ma hate James so much that she acted as his mother, and her driver as the father on the day of James wedding in the far west, since his family members dumped him?

Just before his suspension, in his files are not less than 18 queries which include fighting with the former marketing manager, Moses Salawu, for alleged illegal financial dealings in the name of the station; public insult of people on air, insulting NBC officials through text messages, assaulting female internship students, insubordination to Board of Directors, especially Dr Tom Adaba, and the host of others that would have warranted his dismissal from the beginning; but for the too much love Big Ma’ma had, and still have for him, she will always call him advise him like his child, not knowing that James was already known in town as the number 2 in Tao FM, eyeing the seat of the manager. Outside his salary and allowance, severally was he given money by the manager, linked with top political officers for favours, people he later turned to insult on air whenever they do not meet his yearnings. Then, he becomes a ‘truthful journalist.’

The ounce that broke his camel’s back was the day he decided not to anchor the station’s flagship programme simply because he was blamed for airing a programme which he had been authoritatively warned not to anchor. As all pleas from various persons, including the Chief Security Officer of the station, to anchor the programme proved abortive, he was suspended for two weeks, numbering his queries to 19. After two weeks, instead of resuming work, he began a campaign of calumny on facebook against a woman who has done what most managers will not do for their subordinates.

A recent case was when Fatima Ohere (Nafaza) fell sick; Big Ma’ma simply asked him if he had called the seriously ill female presenter to know her state of health. Guess what? James responded that the girl is incapable, suggesting a letter to relieve her of her employment. Who does that in this part of the world? How heartless? Big Ma’ma never knew there was a coup to dethrone Fati, and replace her with Idris Bethy Oyiza (Inya Oweyi). Who is Bethy?

The 35 years old lady is popularly known as Inya Oweyi, a name gotten from her size. In presentation, Bethy is opposite her size. She was employed as Ebira Producer, under the News and Current Affairs Department, but Bethy was more talented that she double-tasked herself to anchor discussion programmes in Ebira, take announcements  and even act as Duty Continuity Announcer at times presenters are not disposed. Now, before Bethy came in to the station, James had knew her, as in, slept with her. How would one know? She revealed it to the Manager herself when James became uncomfortable with her working in the same place. James constantly assaulted and rubbished her in the station. The last he did to her was the day he pushed her out of the studio for disrespectfully giving him the news summary to cross-check before she reads it. For her sake, James was queried severally. In fact, anytime a report about Bethy gets to Big Ma’ma, she will always defend her, and blame others, telling them to leave the ‘girl’ alone. That was her perception on keeping her team together, that is, loving them. The same Bethy was longing that Fati should not return from her sick bed. But miraculously, Fati recovered, she came back, gave Bethy N2,000 for filling in for her, and praying for her healing.

The day Bethy bid Tao FM farewell was the day she was called to bear witness on the queries given to James relating to their sex escapade which James recorded on phone. She bluntly denied everything, including the quarrels, the pushings. This was more than a shock to all and sundry working with the station who were witnesses, and she left without a suspension, sack or even a honourable resignation. She also eloped with a guy Big Ma’ma housed, and offered the privilege to try his talents on air.

Media practitioners will call radio a blind theatre, which can be translated to the Tao FM experience. Listeners only hear voices, sweet voices, but do not know what happens inside the building, how staff relate with themselves, the actions and inactions of every department. This presupposes why people have given to rumours trending that James was sacked for criticizing Governor Yahaya Bello. And of course, his facebook timeline became a hub for vituperations on one who acted as a mother to him, one who has refused to sue him for his evil deeds despite pressures from concerned friends, one who found out that before James came to Tao FM, he had worked with Divine Academy, where he fought and was sacked, yet loved him; one who still prays for James to stop smoking weed, if that’s responsible for his retardation; and one who out of love tore his queries to escape the scrutiny eyes of the Board of Directors. Only a mother will do that to her child.

Till date, James was issued only a query, he met with the disciplinary panel set up by the Board of Directors, made another devilish pronouncement before them, and left. Yet, he has up till today, not been given a sack letter.