Why state governments may not support Digital Switch Over, by El-Rufai

Following the launch of Digital Switch Over (DSO) from analogue to digital broadcasting yesterday in Kaduna, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said it would be difficult for state governors to support it.

He said this was particularly so as most states were still battling to pay workers salaries due to cash crunch.

He urged the Federal Government and the set-top box manufacturers to come up with a financial engineering that would enable Nigerians to acquire the set-top boxes and pay over a stated period of time

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), John Momoh has said that for the Digital Switch Over to be successful, it must be driven and funded by government.

Speaking at the Pinnacles Communications Limited office, the venue for the launch, El-Rufai commended the present administration for removing all the bottlenecks that delayed the takeoff of the project and bringing to reality the DSO.

He observed that state governors under the state aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) had agreed to support the process considering the enormous opportunities it would provide for the citizenry and called on the set-top box manufacturers to borrow a leaf from GSM phone manufacturers on a creative way to entice customers.

His words: “We have discussed this in the governors forum and have seen the opportunities that it will open for our people. We will do all they could to support the DSO but it would be very difficult for the states to financially support the process at this point in time as most of them are struggling to pay workers salaries.

“I am pleased Kaduna is entering next century as a digital city.

Speaking, Chairman Pinnacle Communications Limited, Sir Lucky Omoluwa, noted that the firm was fully committed to the task ahead and solicited the understanding of the NBC to comply with the policy of the Federal Government set out clearly in the White Paper.

“Doing this is not only fair and equitable but also assures that we shall distribute digital terrestrial signals nationwide with very minimal delay,” he said.