FG to resume Digital Switch Over roll out – Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government says it will “very soon” resume the roll out of Digital Switch Over (DSO) – a transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting – across the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this on Tuesday in Lagos at a ceremony to unveil the new amendment to the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code.

Fielding questions from stakeholders at the ceremony, the minister said the DSO suffered some set back which led to a hold after it was launched in six states.

He reiterated the commitment of the government to spread the massive benefits of digital television to the people, stressing that it was the fastest way to create jobs.

Recall the roll out of DSO commenced in Jos, Plateau in April 2016 and moved to Abuja, Ilorin, Kaduna, Enugu and lastly in Oshogbo in February, 2018.

The minister assured the stakeholders that they would hear from the government on the resumption of the DSO roll out in the coming weeks.

Mohammed also told the stakeholders that government had been implementing policies and programmes to reposition the creative industry.

He said one of the major recommendations of the Post COVID-19 Initiative Committee on the Creative Industry chaired by ace comedian, Ali Baba was a restructure of the industry.

The minister reassured that the government would soon set up a committee on the implementation of the recommendations to move the industry forward.

The Minister also reiterated government’s commitment to assist the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria in securing the N10 billion Nigeria Media Intervention Fund from the Central Bank of Nigeria.