How NBC is improving on Digital Switch Over to end epileptic broadcasting in Nigeria

The current leadership of National Broadcasting Commission, NBC is not resting on its oars in effort to reform the major components of its services in Nigeria, in line with the prevailing situations.

Therefore, the Digital Switch Over, DSO debuted in 2016 was improved upon by the current Management so as to make it impactful on the services being rendered to the public by broadcast organisations.

The DSO geared towards playing a complementary role to state and zonal offices as well as monitoring and enforcement units all over the country, will be made easier and in conformity with the best global practices.

Nigeria in this area of global recession in second tranche as well as the World Health challenges of COVID-19 in second wave, cannot afford to dwell on the obsolete ways of running the NBC, hence the DSO arrangement and project.

With offices in Lagos, Enugu and Jos, the programme will be expanded by the leadership of NBC to four other states, to enable the take off cover the expectations of many Nigerians in the current order.

With its presence in 7 states capital, the programme of Digital Switch Over, DSO of the agency had gone beyond mere lips service, as Nigerians are now anxious to be linked to the global practices in broadcast industry by the regulators.

This is a fall out of the current Management’s renewed zeal to re-energise and re-inaugurate the new area of broadcast development with a view to meeting the current realities.

In line with the renewed order and zeal to achieve results in the shortest possible time, the Professor Armstrong Aduku Idachaba led Commission has convened stakeholders with a view to chart a new course for the DSO and roll out as soon as possible.

The technical aspects, which is the core of digitisation is already resolved towards positive results, when it is re-launched with a thorough re-examination of both the technical aspects and the coverage.

When rolled out, many channels are expected to be on the platform and will gradually be replicated to other states of the federation, to ensure full digitisation in the course of time.

The DSO when in place, will address many technical and human problems that characterise the operations of the Agency,vand replaced with the technical know-how coverage.

Through its traction, transmission and reception, the Digital Switch Over will ease up monitoring, inspection and adequate coverage of both the regulatory body, NBC and the channels liencensed to operate on the new platform.

The current leadership’s foresight in NBC and determination to achieve results, will also reduce to the barest minimum, the teething problems of broadcasting industry in Nigeria.

Abubakar Yusuf writes from Abuja.