TEXT OF SPEECH BY DIRECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMMISSION (NBC), IS’HAQ MODIBBO KAWU, AT THE OFFICIAL COMMISSIONING OF DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION (DTT) IN KWARA STATE, ILORIN, DECEMBER 20TH, 2017

When we commenced the switchover from analogue to digital television in Nigeria, just over a year ago, the NBC; DIGITEAM NIGERIA and all our stakeholders: Signal Distributors; Content Providers; Middleware Provider; Set Top Box Manufacturers; Content Aggregator; and Call Centre Operators, were working together for the first time, to provide the practical experience of what a real digital switchover was like. It was a pioneering endeavour for all of us; and even in the midst of the inevitable controversies, that trailed the effort, I feel delighted that we have arrived at the point where we can report to the Nigerian people, that the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting has finally found the traction that would lead to the delivery of the process, for the benefit of our country.

The pilot phase of the DSO in Plateau state, in April 2016, taught all of us in the process, a lot of lessons. And we took those lessons on board, in the effort to carry out the launch in Abuja, on December 22nd, 2016. And it was the combination of the experiences from Plateau State and the FCT, that emboldened us, to take the decision to carry out the DSO, in six states: Kwara; Kaduna; Osun; Delta; Enugu and Gombe. This is to represent a state from each of the geo-political zones of our dear country. Kwara state is particularly unique, amongst the first six states chosen for this switchover, because it is a state with a relatively old broadcasting culture; but it is also a state that shares an international boundary with the Republic of Benin. It therefore offers us the opportunity to test the process of DSO, in a state an international boundary.

At the personal level, I feel delighted, as Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), to be able to lead the process that delivers this historic process in our dear state, Kwara and in Ilorin, the capital. I am very passionate about our state and this city. Kwara and Ilorin gave me life; cultured me and gave me the education and culture that offered the platform of consciousness and patriotism that became central to my professional life. It was here in Kwara state and in Ilorin, forty years ago, in February 1977, that I began the professional engagement with broadcasting, that has brought me to this stage of my life. I am therefore really glad that we can be part of this historical phase of Digital Broadcasting in this state. I want to assure Your Excellency, and everybody present here today, that we are at the point of embarkation for an exciting journey. Because we would be changing the face of television broadcasting and television viewing experience, for ever!

The new Digital Terrestrial Television project is an impressive technical feat; but more importantly, it is a platform that has a national security imperative. The Federal Government envisages that in the long run, digital television will offer a major platform to create new jobs for the Nigerian economy, through the direct jobs that will come from employment to be generated, by our various stakeholders. It would also be the platform for the creation of new Nigerian television content of all genres, by a new generation of Nigerian content providers. Television will become a 24-hour fare, and 70% of that content is expected to be local content. This makes this new process a major development for our country.

I will like to welcome you all to this historical process and I wish you all a most enjoyable experience, with Digital Terrestrial Television broadcasting, here in Ilorin and all of Kwara state.

Thank you very much for your attention!