Broadcasting
Multichoice Commissions Resource Centres
Multichoice, Nigeria’s leading pay TV operator, has commissioned 10 educational resource centres in Katsina, bringing to 81 its total number of educational resource centres across Nigeria. The Multichoice educational resource centres are technological resource facilities by which Multichoice helps to enhance learning and development in secondary schools across Nigeria.
According to Joseph Hundah, the company’s managing director, ‘as part of the Multichoice Resource Centre project, Multichoice makes available to secondary schools, physical hardware including television sets, decoders and satellite dishes, learning boards, laboratory tables and chairs, generators, video recorders as well as a bouquet of learning and educational channels’.
"These educational and learning channels are customized to this special project and are not available commercially," he said. The objective he stated, is to assist schools in making the process of learning more vivid and empirical and therefore create more impact. "Students, in schools where scientific laboratories do not exist for instance, can witness scientific experiments being carried out and in the process get valuable insights they could never have gotten if all they had to do was to imagine how these processes take place," he said.
Hundah added that feedback from the dozens of schools across Nigeria where the Multichoice Resource Centre project has been implemented has been overwhelmingly positive as teachers as well as students have expressed immense satisfaction with the additional value that the resource centres add to their quest to teach and learn, respectively.
States that have so far benefited in the Multichoice Resource Centre project which is targeted at the entire country include Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Cross River, Abia, Ekiti, Bauchi, Katsina and Abuja, respectively, in four different phases. The fifth phase is expected to commence shortly.
Speaking at the launch in Katsina, Dr. Ismail Tsigi, the State Commissioner for Education, commended Multichoice for the Resource Centre Initiative, describing it as a laudable private sector initiative that will contribute to significantly in enhancing Nigeria’s educational development.
He added that the Katsina State Ministry of Education will spearhead a crusade to help ensure that the facilities at the Multichoice Resource Centres are used judiciously by school principals, teachers and students through close monitoring to ensure that the state derives optimal benefit from the facilities.
Mr. Ade Adefeko, the company’s head of corporate communications and public affairs said that the Resource Centre Project is a corporate social investment initiative by Multichoice. "We realize that knowledge is pivotal to Nigeria’s social and economic development and indeed key to Nigeria retaining a competitive edge in today’s world which is driven by intellectual capital. This is the reason that we will continue to commit resources into ensuring that as much as we can, we help to empower thousands of young people with the knowledge and skill with which to be relevant and make a real difference in the future," he stated.
Multichoice, he stated, works in partnership with the NGO, SchoolNet Nigeria and various state Ministries of Education in implementing the Multichoice Resource Centre Project.
In the case of the Katsina Multichoice Resource Centre project as with all other projects, SchoolNet, Adefeko disclosed, carried out a need assessment and subsequent training of teachers in beneficiary schools prior to the commencement of the project, in order to enhance their capacity to integrate the new learning bouquet into their traditional teaching and learning environment.
In his speech, Dr. Bashir Galadanci, acting chairman of SchoolNet Nigeria, , said the MultiChoice Resource project embodies a partnership between a diverse range of public and private sector interests aimed at mobilizing Nigeria’s human and financial resources to the singular purpose of transforming the education system in Nigeria into one which participates in and benefits from the global knowledge society.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said that Nigerians will no longer pay annual Digital Access Fees under the renewed Digital Switch Over (DSO) project.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja,
Ebuebu said viewers only need to purchase an approved decoder and satellite dish which cost below N20,000 to enjoy free television permanently.
“Previously, users paid an annual digital access fee of about N1,500, described as an administrative charge.
“The new system removes that annual fee. It provides free access to free-to-air television channels without any payment.
“Premium channels will be introduced later. Viewers who want those additional channels will be able to access them through paid services.
“Nigerian content on free-to-air channels remains free to watch. Unlike Pay TV, this platform does not require monthly subscriptions for its basic service,” he said
Ebuebu said approved decoders for the FreeTV will cost less than N20,000 and authorised sales outlets will soon be announced.
He urged Nigerians to wait for official information on approved dealers for the DSO decoders, warning that unauthorised sellers are exploiting growing public demand.
He reiterated that people only need a free-to-air decoder, along with a satellite dish instead of the old antenna system to receive the DSO signal.
“Once the equipment is installed, viewers can access all available channels across the country without paying any subscription fees,” he stressed
The DG dismissed claims by some retailers that there are different categories of decoders sold at varying prices, stressing that such sellers are not authorised by the commission.
According to him, the NBC will soon publish the list of approved dealers, official prices, and locations where genuine decoder boxes and accessories can be purchased.
The NBC boss said the DSO project is designed not only to improve television broadcasting but also to stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, attracting investment, and opening up opportunities for businesses that support the broadcasting industry.
Ebuebu noted that content producers and broadcasters stand to benefit significantly from the nationwide reach of the DSO platform.
Unlike the previous system, where many stations had limited regional audiences, he said the new platform will make their channels available to viewers across Nigeria.
He added that the introduction of audience measurement technology will provide scientific and reliable data on television viewership.
Ebuebu added that audience measurement technology will give advertisers greater confidence in placing adverts and enable broadcasters to demonstrate the true size and reach of their audiences nationwide.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker, has raised concerns over the alleged unauthorised broadcast of Nollywood films by some Ghanaian television stations, calling on Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) to strengthen the enforcement of copyright laws.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker
Mbunabo made the remarks during a conversation with James Gardiner, deputy CEO of the National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana.
He questioned whether it was permissible for television stations in Ghana to download Nigerian movies from YouTube and air them without obtaining permission from the producers.
“I noticed that Ghanaian TV stations, the way they are stealing our films and showing them for free with impunity. Is it legalised in your country for TV stations to go on YouTube, download people’s sweat and show it for free?”
According to Mbunabo, some Ghanaian television stations have been downloading newly released Nollywood films from YouTube and broadcasting them without authorisation, depriving producers of revenue generated through the platform.
He also stated that he had not witnessed Nigerian television stations engaging in similar practices and questioned what measures Ghana was taking to protect filmmakers’ intellectual property.
Responding to the concerns, Gardiner acknowledged that the issue exists and said the National Film Authority had begun engaging relevant stakeholders to address it.
He disclosed that the NFA has held discussions with the Ministry of Communications, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) on improving copyright enforcement.
Gardiner explained that while Ghana has copyright laws, enforcement remains challenging because many television stations now operate digitally and may not have physical offices within the country.
“There are copyright laws, but they are not effective because a lot of the TV stations don’t have offices. Most of them are now digital, so they operate from anywhere. They can even have a Ghanaian TV station but be operating from Austria simply because it is digital.”
He added that authorities are considering a new licensing framework that would require broadcasters to undergo a fresh licensing process to improve monitoring and enforcement.
According to Gardiner, television stations found guilty of illegally broadcasting copyrighted content would be required to compensate affected producers through fines.
He added that repeat offenders could face suspension of their broadcasting licences, while a third violation could result in the revocation of their licences.
Although he did not provide a specific timeline, Gardiner said the reforms were already underway and expressed hope that significant progress would be seen next year.
Mbunabo welcomed the proposed measures but urged the National Film Authority to expedite the process, stating that unauthorised broadcasts continue to affect filmmakers’ ability to recover production costs through legitimate distribution channels such as YouTube.
He also stressed that his comments were not directed at Ghana’s film industry, noting that he has worked with several Ghanaian actors over the years and supports collaborations between Nollywood and Ghallywood.
NBC Scraps Annual Digital Access Fee on DSO
Surge in Fibre Cuts Hobbles Service Provisioning
Why Bandits, Kidnappers are Hard to Trace despite NIN-SIM Linkage – FG
First Securities Brokers Empowers Nigerians to Trade in the Stock Market with the Launch of FirstInvest App
Quest Merchant Bank Hosts Great Place to Work® Nigeria Study Mission
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Slashes Cost of Broadband Internet Router, Unwraps New Data Bundles for Low-Budget Users
E-Financial2 days agoNigerians Accumulate $59Bn in Cryptocurrency Assets —FDC
E-Financial2 days agoFlutterwave Partners Xoom on Transfers into Nigeria
General News2 days agoNearpays, Nigerian Fintech Becomes First African Startup to Win UN’s AI for Good Innovation Factory
News2 days agoDataPro Upgrades Dangote Cement’s Credit Rating to AA+
Telecom2 days agoNokia’s 14 Years of Mobile-Phone Supremacy Ended in an Afternoon
E-Business2 days agoTinubu Orders NIMC to Enrol Every Nigerian by End of this Year – DG
General News2 days agoFintech Brands Should Communicate Right in a VUCA Economy