Broadcasting
NBC, ITS Renew Hope of Digitization of Broadcast Industry
The long awaited digital switch-over (DSO) in Nigeria has become a reality as stakeholders are putting finishing touches for its take-off in Kwara. In March, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), had listed six states, one from each geo-political zone of the country, for DSO.
The states are Kaduna in North-West, Kwara in North-Central, Gombe in North-East, Enugu in South-East, Osun in South-West and Delta in South-South.
Nigeria transited from analogue to digital television viewing on April 30, 2016 in Jos, Plateau State capital after the Federal Government launched the pilot phase of the digital transmission project.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, also recently attributed the success of the DSO to the collective effort of stakeholders namely, Digiteam Nigeria, Broadcast Signal Distributors, Set-Top-Box manufacturers, channel owners, partners such as CCNL and In-view Technologies and Call Centre Operators.
Mr. Musbau Rotimi Salami, general manager of Integrated Television Services (ITS), one of the signal distribution companies for Nigeria’s DSO implementation and handlers of the Ilorin switch-over project, speaking with Sunday Vanguard at the NTA Ilorin Transmission Station, Ganmo, during the visit of the National Assembly ad-hoc committee on DSO, called for the review of the current business model arrangement put in place by the NBC to allow for more favourable operating and cost maximisation.
ITS, which came into being as a result of the report from Presidential Action Committee Report on Digital Migration in Nigeria, has done the needful by taking on the infrastructure of the FRCN, NTA, etc to ensure digital distribution to Nigerians. Salami explained that the organisation had been ready since May 22, 2017, when they began to expect the NBC contractor to install the equipment on their platform.
His words,’’ We of the ITS have been ready since May 22, 2017, but the way the platform is designed by NBC is such that they provide the equipment, the conditional access program, the EPG. They have a contractor who does this and we have informed them since, to come and integrate those systems on our platform. So, we are ready, but the NBC needs to be ready too’’.
The ITS GM explained further that the assignment of his firm is to build a transmission platform that, “will receive and transmit signals both from national, regional and local here in Ilorin”.
He went on: “We have been able to receive signals on the DCS platform, those signals belong to the NBC”.
“Right now, there are about 22 of them, but they need to program signals specifically for Ilorin, they need to create programs specifially for Ilorin, they had to complete national signals and local insertions.
“For now, we are concentrating on those infrastructures of NTA that we used for signal broadcast.
But unfortunately, what we can only inherit from this transition is the mast and the transmitter hose. NTA’s transmitters are obsolete, they are analogue and they are not even supported by the equipment manufacturers anymore, so they are not useful in the new process.
“So, the only benefit we have here now is the mast, the transmission hose. Like Ilorin, their antenna is obsolete, their antenna is VHF, while we are operating on UHF; so virtually, the only thing we have gained here is the mast”.
He also said that for the process to be completed, the NBC needs to make the EPG system available, saying that it’s the signals that would be used to activate the decoder for the receivers at home.
Above all, Salami stressed the need for the NBC to make the set of boxes available and affordable for residents.
The ITS boss, who said the review of the existing business model is imperative to allow for equitable benefits for operators and stakeholders, noted that the business model has been a bone of contention for so long, especially for signal distributors.
“Already the Minister of Information and Culture has called for a review of it. We are eagerly awaiting the review as this will discourage the current situation where those who operate at the fringes and contribute minimally from reaping so much at the detriment of the major stakeholders”, he said.
Salami also assured the visiting NASS members that the Ilorin project met the requirements for the launch and commissioning but only waiting for the team from NBC to put its technical inputs.
Speaking on the significance of the National Assembly members visit, he asked it afforded the ITS the opportunity to explain its side of the story, adding that everything done at the Ilorin center had been to standard of global broadcasting equipment installation.
The ITS boss dismissed the claim that the equipment used at the Ilorin centre was obsolete.
He said such claim was misplaced and amounted to a lack of understanding of the technology behind the equipment used. He used the opportunity to appeal to Nigerians on the need to put the nation first in every aspect of business relationship.
“We must ensure that national interests come first above personal and parochial interests. Integrated Television Services is conscious of the history behind it and will work to protect the interest of the Nigerian television consumers and the entire broadcasting industry in Nigeria.”
On the quality of the DSO, he said: “When fully operational, the ITS will have on its platform over 30 channels on its Free TV bouquet, thus delivering unbeatable state of the art quality television experience and pocket friendly plan to the people of Kwara State”.
The members of the National Assembly, after the inspection of the equipment and interaction with stakeholders, told journalists that the digitalisation of broadcast industry was a done deal.
According to the leader of the six-man team, Hon Chris Emeka Azubogu, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation,” we have seen the level of readiness and asked critical questions and they provided answers.
“We are sure from what they have said that they are ready, we have seen that the equipment are there, they are well and ready to hit the ground running.”
Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) has established six committees to help strengthen and modernize the country’s broadcasting industry.
The committees will focus on content creation, skills development, digital transformation, sustainability, policy and commercial opportunities
The initiative aims to support industry growth and improve collaboration between broadcasters, regulators and media experts
The official launch recently, was led by Tony Akiotu, president, BON and attended by media professionals, program directors, former journalists and heads of specialized media organizations.
The event brought together several prominent figures in Nigeria’s media industry, including veteran broadcaster and trainer Bimbo Oloyede, Tony Uyah of M4S TV, Kingsley Uranta of Channels Television, Ismael Sani of Platinum TV and Ibrahim Shehu of Trust TV.
Together, they are expected to help drive innovation and support the growth of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector.
According to Akiotu, the committees are intended both to help shape industry policy and to provide a forum for dialogue between BON and broadcasting experts.
Akiotu said the ad hoc committees were intended to strengthen BON’s work and ensure that the umbrella body for Nigeria’s broadcasters played a more direct and meaningful role in developing the country’s broadcasting sector.
The six committees reflect the sector’s main priorities. The first focuses on collaboration and innovation to promote content creation.
The second is dedicated to training and talent development, while the third focuses on industry sustainability by improving the sector’s long-term financial viability.
A fourth committee will focus on digital transformation and work with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on regulatory issues.
The remaining two committees will oversee public policy advocacy and the development of sports and commercial rights to help broadcasters increase revenue and attract more investment. Together, the committees are expected to guide BON’s efforts to modernize and strengthen Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
The committees, chaired by members of BON’s General Assembly and supported by the organization’s Secretariat, have an initial 12-month mandate that may be renewed if necessary.
They are required to submit a progress report within three months and implement approved recommendations within the following six months.
The arrangement is intended to ensure close oversight and the timely implementation of their work.
Akiotu also reminded committee members that Nigeria pioneered television broadcasting in Africa and urged them to carry out their work with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says it is investigating about 34 tertiary institutions over allegations that they failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television.
Sawyerr said the agency had deployed a five-member investigative team, including operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and internal auditors, to examine the allegations.
According to him, the investigation was prompted by numerous complaints received from affected students.
“As of right now, there are 34 institutions that we are looking at closely with respect to this issue,” he said.
Sawyerr explained that the double payment issue arose because President Bola Tinubu directed that the student loan scheme commence in the middle of an academic session instead of at the beginning.
He said the decision compelled many students to pay their tuition fees to meet registration deadlines while awaiting approval of their loan applications.
“What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment; some from the students and some from us,” he said.
“The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that is obliged to make refunds to the students.”
The NELFUND boss noted that many students had borrowed money from family members, friends and other sources to pay their tuition with the expectation of receiving refunds once the loans were disbursed.
He said while some institutions had promptly refunded affected students, others had failed to do so.
“Some have been very good at this. Others haven’t been so good at it,” Sawyerr said.
“I reserve judgement on the intentionality around it because, for some of them, they just didn’t have the process to make refunds.”
Sawyerr disclosed that NELFUND was exploring a tokenised payment system that would enable students to authorise tuition payments directly to their institutions, thereby reducing the likelihood of duplicate payments.
He said the agency deliberately chose not to disburse tuition loans directly to students to minimise the risk of fund diversion.
“Paying the funds to the students could really lead to the temptation for them to divert and do other things,” he said.
The managing director, however, acknowledged that NELFUND lacked the statutory powers to compel institutions to refund students or prosecute officials found culpable.
He added that many frustrated students had submitted complaints not only to NELFUND but also to anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Sawyerr also expressed concern over increases in tuition fees by some institutions following the introduction of the student loan scheme.
He said NELFUND had declined to pay institutions that increased their tuition fees beyond acceptable levels.
“Some schools, because they get paid easily, started to put up their fees. We refused, point blank, to pay institutions who had hiked their fees beyond a certain level,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to investigating every reported irregularity and strengthening the implementation of the student loan programme through continuous monitoring and internal reviews.
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