Broadcasting
Pay TV Subscribers Ask FG to Break Monopoly of Multichoice
Association of Telephone, Cable Tv and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) has told the Federal Government, to break the monopoly of Multichoice in order to create a level playing field for others who wants to play in the sector.
Mr. Sina Bilesanmi, national president ATCIS, during a press conference in Lagos, said that the pay TV services which have consistently attracted hike in tariffs, is not in the best interest of his members.
Bilesanmi, said Multichoice, being the near monopolist in the sub-sector of the broadcast industry, has continued to hike its subscription fees unapologetically in Nigeria urging the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to borrow a leaf from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which has a consumer affairs department and has made the protection of consumers its priority.
He said that: “It’s unclear if the NBC’s sphere of supervision extends to that of the pay TV industry because if it does, the South African operator will not be taking everyone for a ride hiding under the excuse of an increase in content costs. We had sought the introduction of the GSM payment model but they said they lacked the technology to so do. Since the company said it cannot implement it, just like the two South African companies, MTN and Econet Wireless, said per second billing was a mirage until Globacom came to the scene, we passionately appeal to President Tinubu to look critically into how to break this monopoly. The government should create a level playing field. An operator must not be allowed to become too powerful.”
He advised the federal government to set up a committee to examine why attempts by indigenous operators to go into the pay TV industry is always frustrated.
“We demand for genuine liberalisation of the sector. We demand that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) should beam its search light on the pay TV sector. For instance, subscribers should be able to roll over their subscriptions. Remember there was also a time in the history of GSM telephony in Nigeria when subscription was tied to a limited number of days. Whatever cash by way of airtime a subscriber had on his or her mobile phone was tied to a specific validity period. Because of the economic hardships occasioned by bold decisions, we, the pay TV subscribers demand a regime of roll over of our subscription. If any of our members subscribes and is unable use it, such a member should be able to use it any time he or she is available,” Bilesanmi stated.
Speaking on telecoms subscription, the ACTIS President said while subscriber figures have gone up, service quality has continued to be an issue.
“The quality has sunk further as the Yuletide approaches. Drop calls, network congestion, call diversion and so many others have increased. We urge the operators to up their games just as we appeal to the various approving agencies to give expedited approval to telcos to expand infrastructure across the country.”
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to prevail upon the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, to grant approval to telcos to build a more resilient network. “We heard that for almost a decade, successive administrations at the FCT have refused to grant approval to telcos to build infrastructure.
Continuing, Bilesanmi explained that ATCIS as a group is aware of the operating challenges but nevertheless demand commensurate service quality with their spend.
“Three companies, MTN, Airtel and Mafab have rolled out services on the fifth generation (5G) technology in the country. While the first appears to be making an impact, not much has been heard from the other two, especially Mafab which launched in Abuja and later Lagos. 5G is no doubt expensive and it appears to be designed only for the rich and privileged. We say this because the cost of acquiring compatible devices are very punitive. For instance, a 5G router goes for as high as N50,000 in a country where the legislated minimum wage has remained N30,000. We therefore appeal to the Federal Government to intervene,” he stated.
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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