DSO: NBC leadership matching words with action

By Abubakar Yusuf

The current Ag Director General, National Broadcasting Commission NBC, Professor Armstrong Aduku Augustine Idachaba on assumption of duty in February last year, assured that the new management was irrevocably committed to making it a reality, the Digital Switch Over (DSO) technology in Nigeria.

True to his words, and in conjunction with the parent Ministry of Information and Culture, the NBC set up a machinery in motion that led to the approval of N9.4 billion by the Federal Government for payment of the financial commitment towards making the dream to join the global technology, through the Digital Switch Over, DSO.

This is coming after the launch of the first phase of the programme geared towards bringing Nigeria at par with the global trend in the area of modern and modest broadcast communication techniques in 2016.

The launch debuted in Jos plateau state, Lagos and Enugu in the first phase, with a tentative time table for the rolling out of both the second phase in the commercial city of Kano, River State and Lagos, the economic and and commercial capital of Nigeria, and subsequently in other states between now and 2022.

This positive development prompted the Ag Director General, Professor Armstrong Idachaba to kick the ground running, and paid a working and familiarization tour to Lagos, and in due course other states for April launch of a hitch free second phase of DSO.

The seamless assignment carried out by the new management in conjunction with the inter-ministerial committee set up by the federal government to chart a new course towards the new DSO, had encouraged alot of positive reactions and elicit public confidence of Nigerians, towards the migration from Analogue Switch Over ASO, to Digital switch Over DSO, a reality.

It is no longer mere rhetorics under the current dispensation with the release of whopping amount of N9.4 billion, to enable full migration after the adminstrative and technical process was completed, as many Nigerians are yearning to bring to par the broadcast standard in line with the international best practices.

The new DSO when in place will create job opportunities to many Nigerians at a time when we are battling with the global pandemic of COVID-19 in second wave, with the anxiety of third wave prevalent in some Asian countries with Nigeria managing its own amidst AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine innoculation.

This is also coming at a time when the country had just witnessed the first round of global recession and just coming out of the second round, with the unemployment rates put at 33% official rate by the NBS.

With DSO, it is expected that the current unemployment rates in Nigeria will get an intial relief, through engagement channels being created by the introduction of the new technology with long term advantages of more engagements from the labour market.

It is also expected to improve on the primary assignments and engagements of the commission, and bring about quality and standardised template in line with the international standards.

It will also throw a lot of opportunities which abound in Nigeria before the global community, therefore bringing a lot of relief and socio economic boost to the country.

The art world will be better for it, with multiple exposure of their activities on the DSO channels exposed to the world, as well as the nooks and crannies of other uninformed communities within and outside the shores of the country.

Many indigenous and foreign broadcast channels will open up a barrage of healthy competitive activities, that will improve and attract viewers for consistent patronage and engagements.

With management that believed in goal getting and achieving positive strides under the Ag Director General, Professor Armstrong Idachaba, it will be a done deal as more efforts will be redoubled to sustain the new wave of DSO in line with the international standards and engagements.

It is a job well done, coming at a time when Nigeria is eager to join the global communities both in action and practice, with Nigerians loosing hope after the 2015 and 2020 bar of the international regulators to its excitement and encouragement.

All hands must be on deck to join the confidence reposed on the commission by the government, that had made DSO coverage a rallying point towards the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria in the 21st century.

Yusuf can be reached on
Yus.abubakar3@gmail.com