Arson: 250 TVC production workers rendered jobless, says CEO

Chief Executive Officer of TVC, Mr Andrew Hanlon, says 250 employees of the private TV station working in the production section have been thrown out of job after the company’s station was set ablaze by hoodlums last week.

He also said since the incident happened, the remaining direct employees of the station had been struggling to work in temporary accommodation put up by the company.

He spoke at the Ikosi-Ketu office of the company on Thursday when the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, paid a solidarity visit to the TV station.

He was accompanied by the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Gboyega Soyannwo, and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso.

Hanlon, who took the governor and his team round, said the main auditorium, which was the hub of the TV station’s operation, was completely razed.

A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, said the auditorium housed three main studios, three control rooms, three master control rooms and central transmission laboratory equipped with the modern communication gadgets worth millions of dollars.

Hanlon said, “After the rioters invaded our premises and set the place on fire, some buildings on the premises survived. But the main transmission building is completely destroyed and it was the hub of our operations. The rioters cast fear and terror in the hearts of our employees when they broke in last week’s Wednesday morning.

“People’s hard work and huge investment that went down into the TV station were destroyed in a period of about an hour. The incident was really traumatising for all of us. The rioters left immense devastation. The entire interior of the building was destroyed. This is all that is left of our bubbling building, which was a centrepiece. Thankfully, no member of staff died in the incident.”

Hanlon said the immediate priority before the management of the TV station was to ensure that all direct employees were looked after, stressing that the means of livelihood of thousands of indirect workers attached to the brand had been threatened.

He said efforts were being taken to return TVC to its full operations, promising that the station would bounce back stronger than it was.

The governor reportedly shown the wreck of burnt vehicles belonging to the station and employees.

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