Minister kicks of first phase of Digital Switchover in Jos

folarin okunola

May 2, 2016 10:42 PM

The ceremony took place at the State Government House, with Mohammed leading the digital team to kick start the pilot phase.

Lai Mohammed- Minister of Information and Culture

Media reports reveal that the pilot phase of the switch over from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting in Nigeria has commenced with the switch on in Jos, signalling the beginning of the process which would spread across all the states of the federation.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, performing the switch on ceremony, stated that the broadcasting industry at the local, state and national levels was being revolutionized to provide viewers better visuals and sound quality.

According to a Nigeria CommunicationsWeek reports, he said it would also promote varieties of television stations channels across the country without spending much.

Mohammed enumerated the benefits of going digital and the functionality of the set top boxes which the government had subsidized.

READ: Minister seeks BON's support for digital switchover

“With the switch over we are revolutionizing the broadcast landscape architecture and the local, state and national economy.

“More importantly e are democratizing the right to know, the right to knowledge and the right to be informed,” the Minister is quoted as saying by Nigerian CommunicationsWeek.

Previous attempts to switch over from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting in Nigeria had failed.

With the pilot phase already under way, the industry is expected to open up more job opportunities and market for set top boxes manufacturers, with the government targeting 30 million viewers across the country, which will make Nigeria the biggest free television market in the world.

folarin okunola