New Transmission Model Flagged off in Jos Amidst Hope and Anxiety

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Monday, June 30th, 2014

Agabus Pwanagba, Jos

As the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) officially launches switch over from analogue to digital transmission, over 40 million Nigerian owners of the analogue television are likely to lose their equipment to the emerging revolution.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, at the flag-off of the Jos Pilot City Digital Switch Over, held at the Eliel centre in Jos on Monday.

The Minister said, the switch over was a “win-win” situation for the nation as many television stations would be floated and millions of jobs would be created for the teeming and wandering youths in the country.

“Broadcasting if well nurtured would be a multi-billion dollar business in Nigeria” Maku observed.

However he lamented that insecurity would be a major challenge in implementing the switchover in some parts of the north.

In his address, the State Governor, Jonah Jang said, “the regulator has responded to this dynamism in order to keep pace with the ever changing tempo of the industry.

“I urge us in our drive towards attaining this goal to be propelled by the benefits offered by digitization.

“The decline and sometimes near absence of high quality local programmes should be addressed and arrested” he advised.

Governor Jang announced that the State government has so far spent over N2.5 billion in upgrading facilities of the State owned – radio and television stations (Plateau Radio and Television Corporation), to enable it launched into the “global digitization technology”.

Jang assured that, his administration was about to constitute a State Digitization Switch over Committee with the mandate to ensure the success of the pilot project.

The Governor called on broadcast stations to regain their credibility by making their programmes culturally rich and relevant as well as to the needs and aspirations of the people.