AS the June 17, 2012 switchover date from analogue to digital broadcast system draws closer, optimism and scepticism abound in equal measure among stakeholders in Nigeria on the country’s readiness to pull off the feat in its broadcast sector.
To the sceptics, the fact that less than one year to that date, the Federal Government has not come out with any categorical statement, especially on the report of the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) on Transition from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting, which was submitted on June 29, 2009, raises concern on Nigeria’s preparedness to go digital fully.
The committee was inaugurated on October 13, 2008 with the mandate of driving the country’s march to digitisation, a global trend being championed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a new broadcast frontier that will herald highly improved television transmission and reception.
The Federal Government is expected to have issued a White Paper on the report in order to give the campaign a legal backing.
The fact that Nigeria’s approach to the digitisation project had been slow was marshalled during a June 29, 2009 presentation with a suggestion that a Digital Transition Implementation Team (DigiTeam Nigeria) should be immediately set up, which should hit the ground running. Over 24 months later, this has not been done.
Even the return of Mr. Labaran Maku at the weekend as the Information and Communication Minister could not sway the opinion of media analysts who expressed reservations on the returnee minister’s ability to drive to logical conclusion the reform processes initiated more than five years ago in the sector.
Executive Secretary, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Osita Nweke, said: “With about one year to the transition, unless all hands are on deck, especially by the Federal Government, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), state governments that own most of the broadcast stations that are predominantly analogue, it will be an uphill task to beat the deadline.”
What is needed now, added Nweke, “is the political will and commitment to transiting by government with the release of White Paper. The state governments must also be ready to fund their stations to transit.”
Also, pioneer Director-General, NBC, Dr. Tom Adaba, said: “I think we are on the move but you know the Nigerian attitude. There might be some snail-paced movement right now but when we are getting very close, you will be surprised at what will happen. Everybody will work to ensure that they meet the deadline. I have no doubt it will come to pass.
Communication Scholar and Head of Mass Communication Department, Caleb University, Prof. Lai Oso, said: “Are Nigerians really aware of digitisation and what they need to do before the switch-over date? I am sure, many people are not with digital TV monitors, meaning they will not be able to receive signals immediately the switchover is effected.”
Oso referred to other countries whose governments subsidised the procurement of set-up boxes to facilitate the reception of digital signals, querying that “in Nigeria, is government ready to do that?
But Director-General, NBC, Yomi Bolarinwa, believes that the country would meet the deadline.
He argued that the NBC has steered the broadcast sector towards the preliminary stages of digitisation as “all non-terrestrial broadcasters have already gone digital, and that virtually all the production and studio equipment of the broadcast stations in the country are all in digital format.”
SOURCE: GUARDIAN
