Characteristic of her disposition to many other developmental issues, Nigeria is again treading the path of failure with her lackadaisical and nonchalant posture towards the imminent switch off from analogue to digital broadcasting; and the inevitable total shut down of analogue broadcasting, which deadline has been set for June 17 – that is just a few weeks away.
Unfortunately, those who are in charge of broadcasting and the entire migration process in Nigeria would claim that they are on course, while the reality on ground clearly and incontrovertibly shows the contrary to be the case.
Nigeria is a signatory to the treaty that was signed at the end of the 2006 Radio communication Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where a resolution was made that Africa, the Middle East and the Republic of Iran should switch from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 17, 2015. The Geneva 2006 Agreement sets June 17 as the date after which countries may use those frequencies currently assigned for analogue television transmission for digital services, without being required to protect the analogue services of neighbouring countries against interference. This date is generally viewed as an internationally mandated analogue switch-off date, at least along national borders.
Having signed the agreement in 2006, indications that Nigeria does not really take the digital switchover serious came when the government waited until late 2012 before setting up a 13-member digital migration team headed by Edward Amana, thus starting preparation in less than three years to the deadline for a journey that took the United Kingdom, with its advancement in technology and a country in the First World, with just less than half of Nigeria’s population, complete six years.
Here is a process that involves manufacturing or importation of set-top boxes, public awareness and education, change in laws and regulations if need be, development of policies on e-waste, and determination of standards, as well as streamlining issues bordering on content development; yet after three years of setting up the committee and just about a month to the deadline, our dear country could not be seen to have achieved any of these. If anything, it has been all motion, but no movement; or better put: we are epitomising the paradox of running fast yet standing still!
It becomes more worrisome that even while works might be going on as claimed on the technical side of the switch processes, the critical tool needed to carry members of the public along – public awareness/sensitisation campaign is totally neglected. Majority of TV households are still oblivious of the impending change even as at now.
Elsewhere in Africa, governments, aside from creating vigorous awareness platforms, are creating incentives for the importation of Set Top Boxes for their people to be able to receive signals after the switch off to digital. Some are already subsidising the Boxes to make it affordable for the people. But the Nigerian government seems not to have a clear direction on how it intends to get its people on the digital train with Set Top Boxes.
Perhaps the Nigerian government has failed to realise that achieving the digital switch comes with lots of benefits, which include higher quality video and audio; greater variety and faster rates of data transmission; consistency of data flows over long distances and more spectrum efficiency, which will bring about more channels. But most important is the economic gains. A communication expert once submitted that Nigeria could free up spectrum worth N380 billion if it succeeds with digital migration by 2015. It could even be more!
On the other hand, should the country fail to migrate by the stipulated date, the ITU had made it clear that there would no longer be protection for any country against interference meaning that digital signals from neighbouring countries that met the deadline will interfere with Nigeria’s broadcasting and communication signals, thereby making it difficult for security and other broadcasting messages to be synchronised or protected.
Obviously, for Nigeria and other affected countries, the digital switch by June 17 is no longer a matter of choice but of compulsion. And if the country is to achieve success with it, now is late, but may not be too late if aggressive efforts are put in place to do the needful. And what the country requires now to achieve meaningful success on the project in the remaining few weeks is to declare a National emergency on the digital switch of from analogue to digital.
The Nigerian government needs to be reminded that the switch-over from analogue to digital goes beyond implementing it from top to down as the public must key into it, understand the migration process and what they are expected to do as they are the targets and consumers of the end product. Hence, awareness should be kick-started without further delay.
Clearly the National Broadcasting Commission has proved it is powerless to galvanise resources and drive the process. Like the typical government institution in Third World countries, it has failed to raise its voice loud enough to gain public sympathy where it requires support; hence, anyone blaming the NBC will be right.
Just weeks to June 17, there is no agenda, no plan of action, just nothing to hold on to. It is a clear sign that the NBC underestimates the gravity of the issue. It is not that it didn’t have time. It has all the time since 2006. Therefore the FG must override the sleepy NBC and declare a National Emergency on digital switchover, especially at this time, and outline programmes of action which can be implemented in the remaining weeks.
This is a matter of clear and present danger.