‘June 2017 deadline for analogue to digital broadcasting achievable’

Critical stakeholders in  broadcast industry  have expressed optimism that Nigeria would overcome the challenges militating against the switch over from analogue to digital broadcasting  and meet the June, 2017 deadline set for the switch over.

The stakeholders, who spoke  in Jos when the House of Representatives Committee on Information, on  oversight function, visited  the zonal office of the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Jos, the Jos office of the National Broadcasting Commission, (NBC) and the office of the Integrated Television Service, ITS and other organisations under the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication, implored  the lawmakers to support them in areas of funding and legislation.

Addressing the lawmakers, the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission NBC, Mr Moddibo Kawu, expressed optimistic that  the country would not fail in meeting the June, 2017 deadline.

“Nigeria has made a commitment, the process is a very expensive one that will help to change the face of TV broadcasting, the set top boxes are being subsidised by government but given the state of the economy, it will be difficult to continue to subsidise.

“A set top box cost $40, multiply that by 30million, the National Assembly has to help us to fund the project through appropriation, we need to pay for satellite cost among other things, equipment portfolios must be changed to meet with standard. The NBC Act permits what we are doing, we are not doing anything illegal, we need support in areas of legislation and funding.”

Similarly, the Chairman of the DigiTeam saddled with the responsibility of ensuring a smooth transition from analogue to digital TV broadcast, Engr. Edward Amana added said his team  has  mapped out how this process will positively impact on the economy adding thatc 30million set top boxes are required and 13 companies have been licensed to manufacture them locally.

“ We expect 29,000 direct employment for our young people, we are trying to evolve the industries and any set top box illegally imported outside the country won’t work in Nigeria.

“The pilot scheme in Jos on April, 2016 was a test ground to see what it entails, the distribution of the set top boxes was another lesson learnt. Abuja roll out handled by the Pinnacle Nigeria Ltd was another experience, now we are deliberating on how to simultaneously move to six states across the six geopolitical zones, we need allocation or appropriation to the digitalization process.”

On his part, the Managing Director, ITS, Engr. Rotimi Salami stated that the establishment inherited infrastructure from the NTA but added that it  need to replace analogue equipments adding that a total sum of N45bn is needed to put effective infrastructure that will cover Nigeria

“The coming of the House Committee on Information on oversight visit is a welcome development because the migration process will be smoother than it presently is. Generally, the challenge we are having is funding, they are coming to see how far we have gone with the digitalization process, they want to see what it takes to implement this process.”

Expressing dissatisfaction in the manner the digital migration process in handled, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Olusegun Odebunmi and his colleagues frowned at the process saying, “the National Assembly in other African countries is being carried along but that was not the case in Nigeria, operating based on Executive policy or order will make the programme difficult to sustain.

“There are lots of work to be done, what are the plans to cover the entire country as the National Assembly is not cleared on the issue of set top boxes and a bill has not even been introduced to enable it passage for us to switch-over. Since there has been no legal backing for the entire process, where are the money so far spent on the process coming from? This process is not backed by law hence there is no budget for it, there is a lacuna and it means the money spent on subsidizing the set-top boxes are funds released illegally. If it is legal, it ought to have been accommodated in the budget proposal.”