Poor preparations dim hope for digitisation switchover in 2017

The Federal Government’s drive for digitisation of television in the country has been described as a mere media hype, as set top boxes have failed to reach the target audience in Plateau State, being the pilot state of the exercise in the country. A public affairs analyst, Mr. Ishaku Momoh, described the digital exercise as a colossal failure, as the initial plan of government to tie it off in 2015 was not achieved just as 2017 seems headed for failure.

According to Momoh, “One year after, one would have expected that the programme would have spread across Plateau State.”Momoh stated that only three local government areas in the state are currently benefiting from the programme, noting, “In 2015, the programme did not take off because it was alleged that the appointment of ministers, which was largely delayed, affected it.

“Now, in 2016, government invited stakeholders in the information sector, trained them at Elim Top Suites in Jos. At the end of the training, the participants were expected to step down their training to the wards and local governments”.

Though Plateau State is the pilot state, he noted that Jos North, Jos South and Jos East are only recently expected to start enjoying by viewing the free TV, which marks commencement of digitization.

He, however lamented that Plateau State Ministry of Information, in implementing the programme, hijacked the process of distribution of the coupons which was evidence for beneficiaries to use and claim the Free Set Top Boxes, which are the decoders.

As Momoh noted, “The distribution was poorly handled that more coupons were distributed and less set top boxes were issued.‎ This shoddy arrangement led to the set top boxes finding their ways to the market. The boxes that are meant to be distributed free are sold at prices ranging between N1,500 and N2,000. Activating the TV and the Set Top Boxes by beneficiaries become too cumbersome, because a beneficiary has to load his personal mobile set with a credit and then call a number before it would be activated for viewing. Even the person responding to the calls at the other end is not up and doing. He is not there 24 hours”.

Momoh added that the greatest problem of digital TV is that not all the stations are clear for viewing and there is frequent challenge of network.“Sometimes, one or two stations are shut down depending on your location in these three councils,” he continued. “Seventy percent of people who are within the councils that began the pilot scheme do not have the Set Top Boxes. Government has not made any effort to expand the programme to the remaining 14 local government areas of the state. So, it will be difficult for Federal Government to convince Nigerians that this programme will be a reality in all the 36 states of the federation and 774 local governments in the next five years to come.

“It appears the information agencies responsible for implementation of the programmes have stopped doing anything about it. No promotion, no sensitization and mobilisation of Nigerians to participate in the programme. This in itself is a sign that the digitization is a total failure because the distribution of the free set top boxes has been hijacked by politicians and traditional rulers.”

However, Commissioner for Information and Communication, Muhammad Nazif, agreed that the Set Top Boxes meant to be distributed for free found their way to the market.

Nazif said the ministry did not distribute the boxes, but only collected few boxes to be given to all the ministries. He explained that 10 boxes were given to each ministry, adding that the distribution was made by Jos North, Jos South and Jos East local government chairmen.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has been globetrotting singing digitisation song, that all is well at home in spite of deficiencies in the pilot process.