Since the coming to power in 2015, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been on the path to reforming all sectors including the media.
With the appointments of Alhaji Lai Mohammed as the minister of information and culture and Mallam Isha’q Modibbo Kawu, as the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) both swung to action by visiting different countries where digital revolution had taken place in broadcasting. This was to get first-hand information on how Nigeria can go switch over to digital television.
The effort, according to the Kawu, has already yielded positively with the take-off of the pilot programme in Jos and later Abuja while another one is expected to take-off soon in Kwara State.
Kawu, after inspecting equipment installed at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) station in Kwara State, said the NBC is partnering Free TV for the switch-over process. He said the NBC had procured 650,000 set boxes worth $26million for the pilot phase of the switch over.
He said the boxes would be made available at subsidised rate of N1, 500 as part of on-going process for the switch-over from analogue to Digital Terrestrial Television.
The NBC boss said the switch-over is being extended to Kwara in the North-Central, Osun, South-West, Gombe, North-East, Kaduna, North-West, Enugu, South-East and Delta in the South-South.
He said the switch-over would provide television viewers with rich 70 per cent local television content and provide access to many other stations.
Kawu recalled that television viewers in Jos before the pilot switch over have access to only four to five television stations but have now shot up to 15 stations while those in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) now have access to not less than 30 stations.
Also months after inspection of the facilities by the NBC, the Minister of Information and Culture, Kawu and members of the digital team visited the NTA, Ilorin for a first-hand inspection on the level of readiness of Kwara State for the digital switch-over.
Speaking with journalists after the inspection, Mallam Kawu, noted that the national digital switch-over would be done in phases, pointing out that the process is capital intensive.
The Chairman of Digital Team, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Engineer Edward Amana, said what was delaying the switch-over in the state have been installed.
Engineer Amana said the station would be transmitting 26 channels, while the inclusion of the Kwara State Television Authority was still in process.
The chairman added that three sites would be made accessible in the state to ensure full coverage. They are Ilorin, Patigi and Kaiama.
With the inspection, the switch-over in the state will be completed before the end of the year.
