Speech by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the launch of the Digital Switch-Over (DSO) in Osogbo, State of Osun, on Friday 23 February 2018

Protocol

It is my pleasure to be here in Osogbo today for the digital television rollout in the State of Osun.

2.  Permit me to start off by congratulating our host, His Excellency Gov. Rauf. Aregbesola, for this epoch-making event. Let me also thank, most sincerely, His Excellency, for the warm reception that we have
been accorded here since our arrival here.

3.   The Digital Switch Over (DSO) train, which took off in Jos, Plateau State, in April 2016, has now arrived in the State of Osun. From Plateau, the train has transversed the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, Kaduna and Enugu States. The State of Osun, therefore, becomes the sixth and the latest state in which we have launched the DSO.

4.   I congratulate the people of this State, who will now have access to more than 30 digital channels, with crystal clear pictures and Hi-Fidelity audio, once they procure our most affordable Set Top Box. The DSO rollout brings the benefits of digital television to all households. It is the democratization of information and
entertainment.

5.   May I also commend and congratulate all the stakeholders who are pulling out all the stops to ensure the success of the transition from Analogue to Digital television across the country – The National Broadcasting Commission, the Digiteam, Signal Distributors, Content Aggregators, Set Top Box Manufacturers, Channel Owners and all others.

6.   Specifically, I want to congratulate the Signal Distributor for the State of Osun, Integrated Television Services (ITS), for working very hard to make today’s launch a reality. I have no doubt that they will quickly cover all the nooks and crannies of the state with their signal, that’s if they have not already done that.

7.   Your Excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we are taking another bold step forward here today, on our mission to build what will be Africa’s biggest and most lucrative Free To Air Television platform. With over 24 million TV households, and being the capital of African creativity in Music and Film, I am now more than convinced that we will also become the capital of Television in Africa within the next few years.

8.   This is the challenge. So I want to take this opportunity to invite all the players to join this unstoppable train. In this train, there is something for everyone:

– To the Mobile phone companies:  Your business is no longer in voice calls but in selling data and the food of data is video. Are you looking for how to get Data to the 24 million homes? You only need our FREETV. With the boxes we have introduced, your data can be taken into every home in Nigeria for use in consuming video. So far you have been acting like spectators, but now you need to become players as we are preparing the customers that you will require to buy your data, especially once the switchover is completed.

– To the Advertisers: No other market in Sub-Saharan Africa has the purchasing power of Nigeria. We are finally going to be able to bring all those 180 million eyeballs to the doorsteps of your product, with the technology that will make it easier for you to target identified customers and make every Naira you spend on advertising worth its while. We have created a meeting point for you and our celebrated creative sector to meet your consumers via Content creation, sponsorship of TV shows, advertisements etc.

– To the Content Producers: Finally, you will have a voice and you will be able to give vent to your creative talents. The era of you paying to get your content aired is over and it is time for you to be paid, with the multitude of channels and a well-managed Audience Measurement System. The Task Team of experts that will work out a scientific Audience Measurement System for the country is now being assembled and will kick-start its assignment soon.

– To the Electronics Manufacturers: The time is now for you to invest in the largest electronics and TV market on the continent. If a platform in Ghana can sell in the open market 3 million set top boxes and over 5 million television sets, can you imagine what it is possible in this Market. There cannot be only one model to get the
boxes into the homes, and definitely not one which is based on subsidy. We must explore the commercial model, which has worked all over the world. We have TV’s, Decoders and Dongles to sell. Through this, we will provide jobs for Nigerians and become exporters of these appliances to the rest of Africa.

– To Nollywood: Your movies can now be sold directly to all homes in Nigeria without the need of a VCD, DVD or even the Internet. Your biggest market is now at your fingertips thanks to the DSO. You can use the platform both to market and sell your films and we invite you to use it.

– To the State Governments: Due to the very nature of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), which requires terrestrial transmission in each state, the state governments play a much bigger role. The FREETV platform, with its ability to disseminate information to each box in a specified state, can be utilised by the state to engage its residents and inform them of happenings and opportunities. It can be used to engage the young ones
either through the publishing of relevant Apps and also for job creation in both the production and distribution sectors and of course to promote Tourism.

9.   The list of the benefits and the beneficiaries is endless, and we will continue to reach out to all other partners to forge a mutually-beneficial relationship with each other, as the DSO train continues to spread goodies across Nigeria.

10.   Once again, congratulations to all the stakeholders. See you all at the next stop of our DSO train. I thank you for your kind attention