Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, on Friday said the “Digital Switch Over” from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting, would create endless opportunities in the entertainment and economic sectors.
Mohammed made this remark during the official launch of the digital switch over television service in Osogbo, Osun.
According to the minister, the switch over would provide platform for telecommunication companies, advertisers, content providers and movie producers to maximize profit through digital broadcasting, a medium for reaching wider and distant audience.
He also stressed the numerous job opportunities and businesses the digital switch over would create, stating that those in the broadcasting value chain would be engaged in every production stage.
He said local companies engaged to produce setup boxes for receiving digital signals would also employ a lot of Nigerians, whereby reducing unemployment and creating new jobs.
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, in his own remarks, commended the minister’s gesture for making Osun an anchor state for the digital switch over launch in the South-West.
Aregbesola said the digital age had come to stay, and that digital broadcasting made it possible for anyone with a standard studio, camera and equipment to be seen in the far corners of the world.
He said that as the switch over setup box production company was already in the state, people of the state were at advantage of keying into the digital world.
He, therefore, urged the digital signal distribution company, in charge of Osun, to ensure they covered the whole state, so the people of the state could enjoy the digital broadcasting experience.
Malam Is’haq Kawu, the Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), in his own remarks said the launch of the digital switch over in Osun was unique because the state was the first location in the South-Western part of the country.
Kawu also said Osogbo, which is the capital of Osun was strategic to the launch, as it was one of the cities that a factory had been setup for the production of setup boxes for digital TV.
He said the launch of the digital switch over in Osun allowed for the spread of the service into the South-West region, and that the choice of Osun was most logical.