BUHARI AND THE BROADCAST INDUSTRY
The Buhari administration has done relatively well, argues Chuks Akamadu
He might not pass for an iconic leader – at least not yet, nor can anyone factually say that so far, he has discharged his duties as a superlative performer; but there are a number of areas, truth be told, that President Muhammadu Buhari has done quite commendably. For some reason, the present government’s anti-corruption war has remained, by the estimation of many, a mere colourful road-show or at best an exercise in hypothesis! Not a few also think that federal government’s handling of IPOB and herdsmen recurrent crises betrays some degree of poverty of ideas and/or regrettable deficit in statecraft. Similarly, unless urgent remedial steps are taken in favour of equity, justice and balance, the pronounced lop-sided character of sensitive appointments will remain federal government’s sore thumb that sticks out.
Those low marks named above notwithstanding, the Buhari–led administration has also recorded some positives - sterling accomplishments - that cannot be denied. Love her or hate her, the government has decapitated Boko Haram in manner her predecessors could not. It is also to her credit that the naira got rescue. In the same vein, cynics are still at sea over how government was able to retrieve the economy from the vice grip of recession.
On October 31, 2017 Chief Audu Ogbeh, honourable Minister of Agriculture, spoke with unmistakable pride during All Progressives Congress’ (APC) National Executive Council (NEC) meeting where he declared that by 2018, Nigeria would no longer import a grain of rice. This is coming on the heels of Nigeria’s recent yam exportation to Europe. Good effort.
In compliance with International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) resolution of 2006, late President Umaru Yar’ Adua had in 2007 set up a presidential advisory council (PAC) whose mandate was to design a road map for Nigeria’s transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting by 2012. Granted that we failed to keep that date of ours with history on June 17, 2012 by our inability to attain the analogue switch off and digital switch on aspiration, but the current state of the digitisation policy-especially as regards visible milestones structures and competent manpower is something to cheer about.
Consistent with the provision of federal government white paper on the PAC recommendations, a broadcasting signal distributor (BSD) called Integrated Television Services (ITS) Limited has since been birthed by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) alongside the digital implementation Team (DigiTeam).
It is instructive to note that although the PAC had recommended the provision of seed grant for the smooth take– off of the BSD which government committed itself to in the white paper, that is yet to materialise; but that did not deter those who midwifed it.
Currently, ITS uses transmitters that are DVB-T2 compliant technology, manufactured by the world’s unarguable best transmitter manufacturers, Rhode and Schwarz (Germany). Herein rests the wisdom in section 12.2 of the white paper which states, interalia, that “in order to maximise the existing broadcast infrastructure, the committee recommends that the existing and massive broadcast transmission infrastructure owned by the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), the Voice of Nigeria (VON) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) should form the backbone for the broadcasting signal distribution….”
Thankfully, this infrastructure (The DVB-T2 compliant technology inclusive) inherited by ITS, like every modern broadcast technology, contemplates future developments and therefore makes rooms for backward integration. This by implication saves our country scares resources as there necessarily is no need for us to appropriate huge sums, given prevalent economic realities, for the procurement of new broadcasting technology.
Whilst no one doubts that the DSO process is on full throttle, government should take greater interest in the digitalisation policy. Pressing issues such as funding, provision of adequate set-up boxes and need for expansion should be given priority. For if Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya could transit from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting, Nigeria most certainly can and the time is now!
Talking particularly about set-boxes, there is sufficient empirical evidence to show that if local manufacturing is escalated, our country will be saving, at a minimum, $500million annually. Beat that if you can! What is more, a successful DSO will, by necessary implication, retrieve significant number of frequencies, which will consequently create countless jobs for the growing number of unemployed Nigerians. Let the present administration, in her enlightened self-interest, speedily wrap up the DSO process, before she goes into the evening of her life – which is within earshot.