The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure Nigeria meets the June 2017 global deadline for migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said the issue was the only discussion during the meeting.
According to him, the migration, in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) guideline, will enable Nigerians receive television signals after the deadline.
He said the pilot scheme for the migration, which was carried out in Jos, Plateau State, in April, using special set-up boxes to provide free digital signals of 15 broadcast stations, was successful.
He explained that funds for the project, about N34 billion, are available, and contracts awarded for the supply of digital set-up boxes at affordable prices to Nigerians.
The minister said the new digital migration policy entails that signal distributors would be solely responsible for sending out broadcast signals to the public while broadcast content will be the responsibility of station owners.
“The main highlights of today’s council meeting are the swearing in of four special advisers and permanent secretary for Foreign Affairs after which only one single council memo was considered and that council memo was a note in respect of an update from my ministry in the process of migrating from analogue to digital broadcasting.”
“As you are aware, the ITU gave a deadline to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting in June 2017,” he said.
“Already, the pilot scheme in Jos, which was successfully deployed at the end of April, is working, and today those in possession of our set up boxes can view 15 channels with clarity in Jos.”
“And the highlight of today’s council meeting is that council reaffirmed its support for us to meet the deadline of 2017 June and directed that the relevant ministries work together to achieve this deadline.”
Asked why FEC deliberated on only this issue when there are sundry matters needing attention, he said: “Yes, Nigeria might be going through difficult times but it doesn’t mean we are going to be cut off from the rest of the world.”
“Twenty years ago, Ethiopia had famine ravaging the country; they have risen from the ashes of that famine to become one of the strongest economies of the world.”
“The fact that we are facing temporary problems does not mean that we are not going to be at pace with technology development all over the world.”
“This is a global issue, it simply means if we do not move from analogue to digital broadcasting, you may not be able to receive signals on your television.”
Besides the government assisting to subsidise in getting the boxes, he said the digital migration would create jobs.
He said: “Look at the opportunities it offers our young men who are talented to provide content to television stations. So, its going to impact largely on the broadcast industry, even piracy, which has been a menace to us today; with digitalisation it means that musicians and film makers can release films or records direct on digital broadcast, such as video on demand, and we are going to cut off the entire pirate network, which has been a bane to our creative industry.”
“If we look at the advantages of digitalisation in terms of changing the economy and providing more jobs, even the 13 manufacturers of set up box, who have been licensed; two of them already producing, are also going to employ.”
“But I think the fact that we have a temporary setback does not mean we are going to be cut off from the world,” he said.
