The Federal Government on Wednesday in Abuja reaffirmed its commitment towards meeting the June 2017 deadline for migration from analogue to digital broadcasting in the country.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council, which was presided over President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mohammed said the Federal Ministries of Information and Culture, Communications, Budget and Planning and Finance would fashion out a comprehensive strategy to ensure effective financing of the project for smooth realisation of the migration deadline.
He said the ministries would also determine the amount needed for the transition from analogue to digital, which included funds for signal distributors, procurement of one million switch over boxes, enlightenment and sensitization campaign and advertisements.
Mohammed said: “The whole purpose of Ministry Finance, Ministry of Budget and Planning and Ministry of Information and Culture is to fashion out a comprehensive strategy, which will also include (Ministry of) Communications.
“Don’t forget that if money is allocated to a ministry, at the end of the year, if that money has not been spent, it has to be returned to the treasury.
“So, it is not as if that is in the account of NBC as we speak.
“With the (Treasury Single Account) TSA, every money that government has today is in the Treasury Single Account.
“And that is why we are sitting down together to determine how much do we need to transit from analogue to digital, which will now include not just money for set up boxes or the money for signal distributors it will also include money for advertisements, advocacy and enlightenment.”
On the procurement of the switch over boxes, the minister disclosed that 200,000 out of the expected one million of the items had so far been delivered by the relevant contractors.
Mohammed expressed optimism that the digital project, when completed, would provide thousands of employment opportunities and also check the menace of piracy.
The minister maintained that the ongoing economic challenges facing the country would not in any affect the smooth implementation of the digital project.
He said: “But look at the job creation that digital migration is going to bring to Nigerians.
“Look at the opportunities it offers young men who are very talented to provide contents to television stations.
“So, it is going to impact very largely on the broadcast industry.
“Even piracy, which has been a menace to us today, with digitalization, it means musicians and film makers can release their films, release their records direct on the digital broadcast.”