By Deji Abdulwahab
Stakeholders in the Digital Switch Over (DSO) programme on Tuesday reaffirmed their collective commitment to the successful implementation of the programme in the country.
The commitment was made known in a communique issued at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting on the DSO roll-over programme in Abuja.
The communique was read by Mrs Clementine Usman-Wamba, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Head of DSO Unit.
The communique noted the stakeholders’ commitment to the successful implementation of the DSO programme in the country.
“The meeting agreed that Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) remains an integral component of the DSO framework and should not be discontinued.
“Stakeholders agreed on the importance of adopting a hybrid digital broadcasting model that leverages DTT, Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite services, and digital application-based delivery platforms.
“The meeting agreed that the DSO Digital Implementation Team, Digiteam, should be reconstituted to guide the DSO implementation.
“Stakeholders also agreed that the NBC should remain committed to protecting investments already made by licensed set-top box manufacturers and other stakeholders within the DSO ecosystem,” it said.
According to the communique, the NBC agreed to strengthen stakeholder engagement and consultation processes to ensure transparency and inclusiveness in the DSO implementation activities.
“Stakeholders welcomed ongoing efforts by NBC and ARCON to develop a sustainable business model that will enhance audience measurement, improve advertising revenue generation, and support the long-term viability of broadcasters.
“There was also a broad consensus on the need to promote local content production, local manufacturing, and job creation as key objectives of the DSO programme.”
It added that the NBC also agreed to review stakeholders’ concerns relating to implementation frameworks, technical standards, and carriage agreement in consultation with relevant stakeholders as part of ongoing consultations.
The communique said that the stakeholders were assured of measures taken by NIGCOMSAT to ensure satellite reliability and continuity of service for the DSO platform.
“In addition, existing backup arrangements with alternative satellite operators are already in place to guarantee uninterrupted service and eliminate the need for subscriber dish realignment.
“There will be at least a quarterly stakeholders’ meeting to ensure alignment in the DSO implementation,” it added.
Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, emphasised that the engagement was a family discussion aimed at finding practical solutions to ensure the success of the DSO project.
He reassured stakeholders that the government had no hidden agenda, adding that all decisions would be guided by national interest, stakeholder inclusion, and the long-term sustainability of the broadcasting industry.
The minister acknowledged concerns regarding consultation and stakeholder participation and noted that while broader engagement should ideally have commenced earlier, it was not too late to build consensus and move forward collectively.
He urged stakeholders to approach the discussions constructively, emphasising that while different opinions may exist regarding implementation approaches, there was a broad agreement among stakeholders on the need to complete Nigeria’s digital migration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting, chaired by Idris, had 128 participants.
The participants included Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Dr Binyerem Ukaire; Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr Charles Ebuebu; Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority, Abdulhameed Dambos; and Chairman, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Chief Tony Akiotu.
Others were representatives of licensed broadcasters, signal distributors, set-top box manufacturers, content producers, DigiTeam Nigeria, and other industry stakeholders. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Philip Yatai
