Talk about sports broadcasters with distinctive style, one of the name that will quickly come to mind is Dr Larry Izamoje of Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM. With almost four decades of expertise in sports reporting, the chairman of Brila Group, Dr Larry Izamoje, is in the class of individuals who build such an empire to raise even better sportcasters.
As Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM celebrates it’s 18th anniversary on October 1st 2020, the day Nigeria also marks her 60th Independence anniversary, many will agree that Brila FM has set a unique pace for others to follow.
Born on 24th of February, 1962 in Onitsha, Anambra State, Dr Izamoje pioneered sports radio in Nigeria and the entire Africa when he founded Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM in Lagos, Nigeria. He opened his second station at Mpape Hill, Abuja in January 2007. In 2011, the very ebullient Sociology graduate of the University of Lagos hit another milestone when Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM opened its Kaduna and Onitsha stations as it continues its rapid expansion programme in the country.
Dr Izamoje in a media chat, disclosed that there have been so many challenges but the passion to keep delivering best of sports information in a special way has kept them overcoming all.
While speaking, Dr Izamoje said, “we are very excited that the brand is doing great as we mark 18 solid years of sports broadcasting, not only in Nigeria or Africa but in many parts of the globe where we have affiliations or where people listen to us through all social media platforms.”
On the station’s recent challenge, Izamoje revealed that, unknown to many the Abuja station was hit by storm earlier this year, which prevented operation in the axis since then. According to him,” Brila FM Abuja suffered serious storm on May 27 that affected the top end of our tower. Due to the lockdown, there was a serious delay in effecting desired changes. But we’re glad to tell all is almost done now and before the end of October, Brila FM 88.9 Abuja will be back on air”.
While confirming the date, Dr Izamoje said all necessary changes have been effected and from October 15, the test run will commence as they prepare to return on air.
On the misconception in some quarters about some staff that purportedly exited the company, Dr Izamoje said; “Most of those who left had stayed between 8 to 14yrs and they left based on normal procedures, with cash and car gifts, handshakes and smiles. Places vacated were also filled quickly as we continue to serve our ‘Rice’, Sports,” he noted.
Explaining further, he said, “even if 18 members of staff had resigned from the station in 18 years of its existence, that is one person in a year. The advent of technology development and social media has broaden space in the industry. Not only that, more people have been granted operation of radio licenses over the years.
Over 300 has been granted since we started, so this will definitely bring up several opportunity for people to move and you can not hold anyone down. Also government has been encouraging entrepreneurship over the years, some are even given loans for startup. So, if a staff got such offer and want to leave, will you force him or her to stay? There is freedom of movement in the country and in our industry.
So for people to try something else after a minimum of 8 years with us isn’t a bad idea. It opens ways for labour mobility. Former England captain, John Terry left Chelsea, there was a certain Thierry Henry at Arsenal and now it is Aubameyang’s time. Barcelona did not tie Luis Suarez down. The highest you keep a team together without injecting fresh blood is 4 years, according to Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola. David Sylvia and Vincent Kompany are no longer of Manchester City. Even Adam moved out of the Garden of Eden when he faltered. In our families, we left our parents as adults to start our nuclear families. Life is about movements not bonds and ropes.”
Dr Izamoje expressed his joy that Brila FM has groomed so many professionals in the industry of sports broadcasting/reporting with special in-house style that many of them now use in presentation on several platform. He believes “people should celebrate the fact that people trained for over 10 years at Brila are tapping into opportunities offered by prevailing economic circumstances to become employers and so more. Mouths are being fed, more people taken off the unemployment queue. Jesus commanded His disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the utter most part of the earth ( Acts 1:8).
Taken to the work place, let’s celebrate the obvious fact that, Brila FM has produced disciples in several places in 18 years and still retains a lot of disciples who have put in over 10 years now working with younger and very vibrant staff, all serving the sports niche. With more stations emerging and looking for identities, they were going to copy us and poach willing staffers. No one keeps all his staffers all the time. The Bible tells. Adam left the garden of Israel and those disciples that left the task Jesus gave them to do, did their own, which was to sleep; while one left and did his own, trading off the master.
My academic doctorate is in labour mobility from the Business School, Lausanne and one thing Prof David Gration, my supervisor, kept saying is ‘labour mobility is not completely unhealthy or you will lack fresh ideas and human capital renewed strength if you do not have it.’
