From Magnus Eze, Abuja
Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on the federal government to religiously implement its white paper on the nation’s Digital Switch Over (DSO) process to curb the growing allegations of fraud in the system.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko decried the opaque manner the regulatory agency; National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had driven the whole process.
“Allegations and counter-allegations of unpreparedness, favouritism, nepotism and embezzlement of taxpayers’ money by industry players have also flared up. Twice, Nigeria missed the digital switch-over (DSO) deadline.
“Stakeholders in the broadcast industry believe that Nigeria would have gone far by now, if some of the ripples had been avoided because the country has missed two deadlines for switch-over, which have been rationalized by the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) as normal teething problems,” Onwubiko stated.
An industry expert, Tony Dara had recently criticised the whole switchover process, accusing one of the signal distributors; the Integrated Television Service (ITS) of installing obsolete equipment.
However, the NBC has maintained that government was working hard to simultaneously switch on six states; each drawn from the respective geopolitical zones of the country.
Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had disclosed that the FG will generate $1billion from sale of spectrum.
He also said the broadcasting industry and digital economy in the country will grow by $1 billion per annum through increased advertising, Nollywood income and value added services.
Experts said broadcast transmissions involve many players in the chain-content producers, chain programmers, point-to-point links such as between the studio and the transmitter station, manufacturers and end users. All of them will benefit immensely from the DSO.