Yemisi Izuora
The stage is set for the rollout of the Digitial Switch Over (DSO) in
Kwara State, following the inspection visit to the facilities of the
Integrated Television Services (ITS), a Signal Distributor, in Ilorin
on Friday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed.
The Minister led a team that included the Director-General of the
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Malam Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, and
the Chairman of Digiteam Nigeria, Mr. Edward Amana, to the ITS’
facilities to gauge the readiness for the rollout.
Following the inspection, the Chairman of Digiteam said: “We are ready
to take off in Ilorin. We have seen the installation and what was
lacking before has been rectified. There is some level of redundancy
now built into the transmission system.”
Mr. Amana said at the moment there are 27 channels in the bouquet and
that anyone with a Set-Top Box can access the channels within the
coverage area of the transmitter in Ilorin.
He said the Digiteam is working with the Signal Distributor to
construct transmission stations, similar to the one in Ilorin, in
Patigi and Kaiama in order to have a total signal coverage of the
whole of Kwara State.
“We require a total of three sites to be able to effectively cover
Kwara State and the plan is that structures similar to the one we have
in Ilorin will be replicated in Patigi and Kaiama.
”When Patigi and Kaiama are up, then we can confidently say the whole
of Kwara State will be covered and there will be spillover to the
neighbouring state of Niger,” the Digiteam Chairman said
In his remarks, the Minister said the visit was to ascertain the level
of preparedness for the launch of the DSO in Kwara State and the
quality of facilities on the ground.
“We are here to have a first-hand inspection of the level of readiness
for the Digital Switch Over for Kwara State.
“I am sure you have heard, over the last couple of months, the
cacophony of voices as to the readiness or otherwise and the standard
or otherwise of the equipment in Ilorin. So I have come here with the
Chairman of Digiteam, the Director General of the National
Broadcasting Commission and the General Manager of ITS to see for
ourselves whether this station is ready for commissioning or not,” he
said.
Earlier, the General Manager of ITS, Mr. Rotimi Salami, had conducted
the Minister and his delegation round the transmission station and the
control room.
The DSO was launched in Jos, Plateau State, in April 2016 and was also
rolled out in the Federal Capital Territory in December 2016.
Kwara is one of the six states earmarked for the next phase of the DSO
rollout. Others are Osun, Delta, Kaduna, Gombe and Enugu States.