The Federal Government said it will create almost one million new jobs with the second rollout of Digital Switch Over (DSO) which will start from April 29 in Lagos State.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the disclosure in Abuja on Tuesday at an interactive session with Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation.
The minister who came in the company of the 13 Member Ministerial Task Force on the DSO project said while the rollout will start in Lagos o April 29, it will be rolled out in Kano on June 3, and Rivers on July 8, to be followed with Yobe on July 15 and Gombe on Aug 12.
He said the ministry had taken some steps to create the enabling environment for the DSO to succeed, for local content to thrive, for indigenous producers to be more engaged and for the local advertising market to grow.
He added the ministry considers the DSO one of its priority projects, given its potential to create jobs, bring governance closer to the people through better access to information, provide quality programming to Nigeria’s estimated 24 million television households, with high fidelity pictures and sound.
To date, he said the DSO has been rolled out in five states and Abuja.
The minister said “without mincing words, let me say straight away that for us, the DSO is about stimulating local content and empowering platform owners.”
“The manufacturing of Set Top Boxes or decoders alone was capable of creating 50,000 jobs, while television production could create 200,000 jobs .
” Film Production can generate 350 to 400,000 jobs,distribution, which entails supplying the market with Set Top Boxes,TVs and Dongles for the internet, will require at least 100,000 wholesalers.
” Advertising can create a further 50,000 jobs”.
Mohammed revealed that the Federal Government had carried out an unprecedented reform of the broadcasting industry, given the nexus between the reforms and success of the DSO.
“The amendments were necessitated by the need to boost the local content in Nigeria, curb anti competitive and monopolistic tendencies and boost advertising revenues.”
“We have amended the code to curb monopoly and exclusivity of programme content in order to create room for the local industry to grow.
” For example, the pay tv sector of the
broadcast Industry had been controlled by foreign interests, while indigenous efforts to compete have been frustrated or weakened by the established control of the big monopolies.
“It will interest you to know that to date, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has licensed over 30 Nigerian pay tv companies, but only 1, is currently struggling to break through,this is not acceptable.
“The monopolies exclude many Nigerians from enjoying or having access to premium content, especially in the area of sports and movies.
“With the amendment to the code, anyone owning any sports rights must make such available to other parties in Nigeria, who may be interested in acquiring these rights.
“We have amended the Code to stimulate growth in the Advertising Industry.
“Agencies and Advertisers to offset all outstanding invoices within 60 days related to advert placement and the barring of carriage of adverts of defaulters.
“This will significantly address the diversion of advert revenue to the wrong hands, address’ lack of accountability in the advertising industry, and ensure significant empowerment in terms of funding for content producers and channel owners in the Nigerian media industry.
“Also, under the new amendment, for a programme to qualify as local content, it must be authored, directed, and produced by a Nigerian.
“In addition, at least 75 percent of the leading actors and major supporting cast must be Nigerians, a minimum of 75 percent of its program expenses and 75 percent of post-production expenses paid for services provided by Nigerians or Nigerian companies.
“This initiative will considerably develop the skills, expertise, and industry of the local content market.
“This is a redefinition of the old regulation that 60 percent of all programmed aired during prime time must be local content.
“As part of efforts to make the DSO proposition viable.
“I have directed GoTV and StarTimes to stop self-carriage by the end of June 2021 and migrate to either Integrated Television Service (ITS) or Pinnacle Communication, which are the approved signal distributors in the country.
” To stimulate growth and investment in the advertising sector, the code was further amended to the effect that all television and radio advertisements for airing on all broadcast platforms, pertaining to products and services manufactured, grown, processed, developed, created, and originating from Nigeria, shall be wholly produced in Nigeria.”
