Is NBC digital switch over project another white elephant? By Aderemi Ogunpitan

Is Nigeria’s Digital Switch Over (DSO) project, managed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) another white elephant ptoject? There has been multiple delays since its inception. Initially set for completion by 2015, ten years later, the project has missed many deadlines, with only partial implementation in six states as of December 2023.

In August 2024, President Bola Tinubu quietly approved another ₦10 billion grant to accelerate the DSO process. The funding aims to lease transponders, establish a satellite backbone for nationwide signal coverage, support audience measurement, enhance content production, distribute digital set-top boxes, and launch the FreeTV app.

Stakeholders are concerned about the project’s transparency and execution and emphasise the need for a open, straightforward and transparent approach to ensure digital access for all Nigerians.

With more than ₦53 billion invested in the DSO, with an additional ₦3 Nigeria’s Digital Switch Over (DSO) project, managed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has faced multiple delays since its inception. Initially set for completion by 2015, the project has missed several deadlines, with only partial implementation in six states as of December 2023.

In August 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved a ₦10 billion grant to accelerate the DSO process. The funding aims to lease transponders, establish a satellite backbone for nationwide signal coverage, support audience measurement, enhance content production, distribute digital set-top boxes, and launch the FreeTV app.
Despite these efforts, stakeholders have raised concerns about the project’s transparency and execution. Professor Armstrong Idachaba, former acting Director-General of NBC, emphasized the need for a straightforward and transparent approach to ensure digital access for all Nigerians.

With more than ₦53 billion invested in the DSO project to date, and with an additional ₦3 billion accrued as Digital Access Fee (DAF), one wonders why the challenges persist, as many now see the project has a conduit for raking funds from government coffeers without accountability.

Full implementation of the DSO promises improved picture and sound quality, a broader selection of channels, and enhanced flexibility with portable and mobile reception.
Is it too much to ask government for a definitive timeline for when broadcasters nationwide will fully benefit from the project,?

Significant investments have been made to advance Nigeria’s digital broadcasting capabilities, the project’s completion and its benefits for broadcasters are still pending after blowing N53 Billion.

The project’s completion and its benefits for broadcasters are still pending.

Who will bail the broadcast industry out of this malaise. Why is the project couched in so much lack of transparency and accountability?

–Ogunpitan is a TV and Production executive in Lagos