June 3, 2026
Okoh Aihe
Writing about the fresh aspirations of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on the Digital Switch-Over (DSO) and FreeTV being prepped for launch on June 17, 2026, we declared our support for the regulator in choosing the satellite option but warned that the process needs to be more transparent and inclusive.
Before the afternoon of the very day the material, DSO: Before euphoria blinds reason and pain, was published, May 20, lots of materials and communications on the subject were forwarded to this writer, with nearly all of them suggesting the same thing: that the process leading to what would be launched was not consultative and transparency couldn’t pass the least integrity test.
None of them, however, wanted the process terminated, but demanded more consultation with industry stakeholders, inclusivity of existing structure that formed the value chain of implementation, frank discussions and definitions of roles, and full disclosure of organisations and individuals involved. Even then, what is happening seems to be a seething cauldron that must be handled with care lest it boils over, causing damage with its content.
