The exit of On Air Personalities (OAPs) and ‘abrupt resignations’ at the multi-award-winning radio station, JayFM Jos have been attributed to management issues and poor staff welfare.

A former On Air Personalities (OAP) at the station who left in April 2022, Opeyemi Akinyode stated this while commenting on the recent dramatic on-air resignation by Jay FM Jos, Host of the Breakfast Show, Zoe Machunga on Thursday.

OAP, Opeyemi Akinyode who spoke to Matthewtegha’s Blog said the reason why Zoe Machunga who he sees as the ‘voice of Jayfm Radio Jos’, and many others who have left the station may be connected with the exact reason why he left the station.

He stated that he was not surprised at the recent exit as more staff may leave the station if the situation of a poor welfare package for its staff is not addressed.

Narrating his ordeal, Opeyemi said he joined JayFM in 2016 as a guest analyst for a sports show without pay and was later drafted into a political show ‘the situation room’ in 2019 due to his political consciousness with no employment letter but just a monthly salary of 10,000, which was later increased to 15000 as he was working both sports and a political daily show, Nigeria at Sunset.

He said his continuous plea for an employment letter fell on deaf ears, instead, he later received another increase to a monthly salary of 25,000 towards the end of 2021 until his departure. He felt totally valueless after being with the station for 6years without an employment letter and had to leave.

He said the station deliberately doesn’t want to be committed to its workers which is the situation with most of the staff who are currently working there, with most of them getting stipends with no employment letters and so much toxic environment workspace created by some of the top management staff.

“I left Jayfm because there was no welfare package for some of us who were very committed to the station, I worked in Jayfm for 6years and the highest salary I ever got at Jayfm is 25,000 with no employment letter, even without being paid a dime for the first 3years.”

“The station has one of the most competitive adverts rates amongst radio stations in Jos, so even if you can’t sustain payment of staff, there are ways you make people feel that you appreciate their commitment.”

“Making people feel that they can go and be replaced at any time, the management feels that the radio station is the biggest platform so if anyone leaves other people will come to the station, out of desperation for a platform to showcase themselves. So the management doesn’t care about the well-being of the people that are serving the audience.” He further stated.

He refuted the rumors making the rounds that he was asking for outrageous salaries or wanted to be the highest paid at the station. He said he left Jayfm after 6years because his stay at the station was never defined with no benefits despite his commitment.

The OAP who has since moved to greener pastures at another Radio station stated that the management must begin to place value on its staff with a better welfare package in a purpose-built conducive working environment powered by a high commitment to the sacred ethics of journalism and professionalism if it wants to retain its human resources in future.

Recall that Zoe Machunga, the host of Jay FM Jos’ breakfast show, Morning Jay and Let’s Talk resigned at the end of her last show on Thursday, August 25, 2022.
“I have come to the end of my journey here on Jay FM Jos, it’s been an absolute pleasure being of service to you,” She said (READ HERE)

In recent times Jay FM Jos has had massive resignation of its top on-air personalities including Opeyemi Akinyode, former co-host of Nigeria at Sunset; Nanji Nandang, former host of the internationally recognised advocacy show, Silent Voices; Sandra Kaura, an ex-newscaster, Gabby head of production and OAP Juliet.