• All departments heads are working in Harmony
• SLNTV Finance Director Suspended until Investigations are complete
• New Radio Transmitter operational soon
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The Ministry of information has denied the existence of differences among senior staff.
The Ministry’s Director General Mr. Abdirashid Jibril Yusuf made the denial during a press briefing where he also informed on the status of the new radio Hargeisa transmitter and purported dismissal of a senior officer.
The DG who was flanked by six departmental heads said that continued insinuations by some local TV stations, newspapers and websites as per internal infighting among senior staff was false and of ill intent.
On the issue of the Somaliland National TV-SLNTV Director of Administration & Finance Mr. Hasan Mohamed Mahmoud, DG Abdirashid revealed that the ministry has only suspended him from duties pending completion of investigations by the office of the Auditor General.
Said he, “Mr. Hasan has not been fired but only suspended by the ministry until the AG’s office complete ongoing investigations”
According to the media reports that the DG refuted, the SLNTV director of Finance is said to have been fired though the AG had failed to prove alleged corruption against him. The reports also indicate that the ministry is engulfed in internal infighting with departmental heads showing dissatisfaction with current leadership.
“I take this opportunity to inform all citizens that the purported differences in the ministry of information are false” Said DG Abdirashid Jibril who is also acting minister in the absence of his boss current in south Sudan.
In the course of ongoing investigations by the office of the Auditor General, the CID on orders of the AG arrested Mr. Hasan Mohamed Mahmoud the SLNTV director of Adm/finance only to be released a few days later by the High court in Hargeisa after his clan elders bailed him on an undisclosed surety thus await case conclusion while on bond.
Upon his release, Minister Abdirahman Boobe reinstated Mr. Hasan before his departure to south Sudan where he presented a paper on the history of Somaliland at an international symposium organized and held at Juba University.
According to the DG the future of the suspended director is solely depended on the outcome of the AG’s investigations, said he, “If he is found guilty of misappropriating public funds then legal procedures will be followed and if innocent he shall resume his normal duties.
The press briefing was also informed about the status of the new Radio Hargeisa Transmitter which the ministry had earlier on indicate its commissioning day to concede with EID Ul-Fitr celebrations that were held last week.
“I wish to inform that the new transmitter is installed and antennae are fully erected and testing will commence immediately the studios are connected” Said the DG
According to the Ministry’s Technical Director Mr. Ahmed Suleiman, the much-anticipated nationwide radio transmission will be on service as soon as ongoing tests and linkage with studios is completed.
The technical director further informed that all ongoing works are under local engineers following the departure of the 14 Chinese experts whose mission pertained to installation of the Transmitter and erection of antennae’s.
Somalilanders are anxiously awaiting the full commissioning of the 100Kw Radio Transmitter that will avail nationwide transmissions of Radio Hargeisa broadcasts since the current Radio Hargeisa transmitter has a capacity to cover only a distance of 40sq Km radius thus only Hargeisa residents and those in its peri-urban areas receive programs from the national radio station.
