Nigeria’s long-delayed transition from analogue to digital broadcasting received a major boost on Tuesday as key stakeholders renewed their commitment to completing the Digital Switch Over (DSO) programme and adopted a new implementation strategy aimed at accelerating the process.

The renewed commitment emerged during a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the National Broadcasting Commission under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in Abuja.

At the meeting, participants agreed to adopt a hybrid digital broadcasting model that combines Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite services, and digital application-based delivery platforms. The new framework is expected to broaden access to digital television services and fast-track Nigeria’s migration from analogue broadcasting.

Stakeholders dismissed suggestions that Digital Terrestrial Television should be abandoned, insisting that DTT remains a critical component of Nigeria’s digital broadcasting architecture and must continue to play a central role in the transition process.

They also agreed that the Digital Implementation Team (DigiTeam), which previously coordinated major aspects of the DSO programme, should be reconstituted to provide strategic leadership and drive implementation efforts across the industry.

Speaking at the meeting, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the gathering as a “family discussion” aimed at resolving outstanding issues that have slowed the implementation of the DSO project over the years.

The minister assured stakeholders that the Federal Government has no hidden agenda regarding the digital migration programme and emphasized that all decisions would be guided by national interest, inclusiveness, and the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.

He acknowledged concerns raised by stakeholders regarding consultations and participation in the process, admitting that broader engagement should have commenced much earlier. Despite differing opinions on implementation strategies, Idris noted that all parties were united on the need for Nigeria to complete its transition to digital broadcasting.

Participants at the meeting reaffirmed that the DSO project remains essential to Nigeria’s economic and technological development. They identified job creation, attraction of new investments, promotion of local content, and support for indigenous manufacturing as some of the key benefits expected from the successful implementation of the programme.

The stakeholders also stressed the importance of regulatory certainty, stronger investor confidence, and closer collaboration among industry players to ensure the long-term sustainability of the broadcasting value chain.

A major issue raised during the discussions was the need to protect investments already made by licensed set-top box manufacturers and other operators participating in the DSO ecosystem. Stakeholders emphasized that any new implementation strategy must safeguard existing investments while creating opportunities for further growth and innovation within the sector.

The meeting ended with a renewed consensus among government officials, broadcasters, technology providers, and industry stakeholders that Nigeria must intensify efforts to finally complete its digital broadcasting transition after years of delays. The adoption of the hybrid model is expected to serve as a key step toward achieving that objective.

In a massive digital clampdown, the Nigerian government has deactivated a staggering 13,597,057 social media accounts across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X, citing “offensive content and violations of the code of practice.”

The bombshell revelation came through the 2024 Code of Practice Compliance Report, jointly issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

According to the report, no fewer than 58.9 million offensive posts were deleted from various platforms, while NITDA disclosed it received 754,629 complaints from Nigerian users. Startlingly, 420,439 contents were initially removed but later re-uploaded after appeals.

NITDA spokesperson Hadiza Umar hailed the compliance of global tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and TikTok, describing the mass takedowns as a “giant step towards sanitising Nigeria’s digital space.”

She declared:

“The compliance reports provide valuable insights into platforms’ efforts to protect users in line with the Code of Practice. This is a bold move towards a safer and more transparent online environment for Nigerians.”

With millions of accounts axed and tens of millions of posts wiped out, the government insists this is only the beginning of a sweeping drive to curb digital harm and enforce order in Nigeria’s social media space.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has declared that the number of telephone users in Nigeria increased to 222.6 million at the end of 2022.

The 2022 figure showed an increase of 27.1 million telephone users over the 195.5 million subscribers recorded at the end of 2021.

The NBS made the disclosure via its Telecoms Data: Active Voice and Internet per State, Porting and Tariff Information report for the last quarter of 2022, released on Monday, April 24.

The NBS stated that the figure for the last quarter of 2022 represented a 13.87 per cent rise in voice subscriptions on a year-on-year basis.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the report showed growth stood at 4.89 per cent.

The NBS also recorded a total of 154.9 million active internet subscribers at the end of 2022 compared to 142 million recoded at the end of 2021.

“This represents a 9.07 per cent increase in active internet subscriptions year-on-year, while on a quarter-on-quarter basis, internet subscription grew by 1.35 per cent,” it stated.

On state-by-state analysis, the report showed that Lagos State had the highest number of active telephone users in 2022 at 26.5 million, followed by Ogun State with 13 million users.

Kano State came third with 12.4 million telephone users.

The report showed that Bayelsa State had the least number of telephone users at 1.6 million subscribers, followed by Ebonyi and Ekiti states with 1.9 million users and two million users, respectively.

It also showed that Lagos State had the highest number of internet users at 18.7 million subscribers, followed by Ogun State with 9.2 million subscribers and Kano State with 8.5 million subscribers.

“On the other hand, Bayelsa recorded the least number of 1.1 million internet users, followed by Ebonyi and Ekiti with 1.3 million and 1.5 million subscribers, respectively,” the NBS added.

The NBS noted that majority of telephone users in Nigeria in 2022 were MTN subscribers.