The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Discordant tunes

  • Onnoghen: Discordant tunes persist as NJC sits

    Lawyers were supposed to boycott courts yesterday to protest President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen, but not a few ignored it.

    Activities in all the courts in Rivers State were crippled as ordered by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

    The courts were opened, with the registrars present, but the judges were not there. A few lawyers were seen in the courts.

    Speaking to reporters, Rivers NBA chairman Sylvester Adaka said even if there were issues of corruption linked to the CJN, the President should follow due process in handling it.

    “It is not that NBA is encouraging corruption in any way, all we are saying is that there is a process which must be followed,” he said.

    A former Attorney-General of Rivers State and a Senior Advocate of Nigerian, Barinua Wifa, described the CJN’s suspension as a trial of the nation’s democracy.

    The legal luminary, who spoke in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said the decision was hasty and did not follow the constitution of the nation.

    Wifa added that ‘Buhari does not have the constitutional backing to appoint or remove a judicial official without recommendations from the National Judicial Council, adding that the president acted contrary to the law.

    Akwa Ibom

    Lawyers in Akwa Ibom yesterday boycotted the courts. Our correspondent, who went round courts in Uyo metropolis, observed that administrative workers were hanging around the premises of the courts.

    Some lawyers, who came in the morning, were seen standing in groups apparently discussing the development but refused to speak to the reporters.

    A one-time State Chairman of the NBA, Ekanem Ekanem, said lawyers in the state completely complied with the directive.

    Ekanem said the NBA set up a team to monitor activities of lawyers during the two-day protest.

    He said: “Akwa Ibom State chapter of NBA swiftly swung into action on Monday and set up a monitoring team to monitor the activities of lawyers attending court sittings for possible sanctions.

    “No lawyer went to court today (Tuesday) as am talking to you I have three cases in court but I have not attended to any of them.

    “The warning strike ends tomorrow but if the federal government does not rescind its decision to suspend the Chief Justice Walter Onnonghen and also rescind its decision to appoint Justice Tanko Muhammad as the Acting ChiefJustice of Nigeria, the NBA will explore other stringent measures to ensure Federal Government complies.”

     Calabar

    Lawyers in Cross River State took the streets of Calabar to protest the suspension of Justice Onnoghen.

    The placard-bearing lawyers from the three NBA branches in the state comprising Calabar, Ikom and Ogoja, converged on the state judiciary headquarters at High Court complex on Mary Slessor Avenue before proceeding to the governor’s office on Diamond Hill to present a six-point demand to the governor for onward transmission to the president.

    The Vice Chairman of NBA, Calabar Branch, Julius Idiege, read the communiqué before it was presented to Deputy Governor Ivara Esu, who received it on behalf of Governor Ben Ayade.

    The communiqué issued by the lawyers reads: “We condemn in the strongest terms, and wholly reject the unconstitutional suspension of Honourable Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari, vide a black market ex parte order issued by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

    “We are horrified that the Hon Justice Tanko Mohammed submitted himself to be sworn in as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, thereby subscribing to this abuse of the constitution and we find the actions of the Code of Conduct Tribunal perfidious and fraudulent.”

    “Unless this abuse of the constitution is redressed immediately, the rule of law will be in jeopardy and this will drive the country towards anarchy. The constitution of Nigeria must remain supreme and sacrosanct. We call on the president to immediately retrace his steps and reinstate Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen to his position as Justice of Nigeria, and preserve the constitution which he swore to uphold.”

    They urged the National Executive Committee of the NBA to take all necessary steps in defence of the constitution and the rule of law.

    Meanwhile, courts in the state were boycotted by lawyers throughout Tuesday. The boycott will continue on Wednesday as directed by the NBA at the national level.

    National Industrial Court, Abuja

     Lawyers shunned the Industrial Court Complex in Garki, but two of the four courts had their usual court proceedings, while one delivered a ruling.

    The court registrar of one of the courts that did not sit said it was because sitting was not slated in his court for Tuesday.

    A NAN correspondent was also informed that the judge in another court that did not sit was on vacation.

    The lawyers were seen in the premises going into the registry to file processes while others were in courtrooms involving in court proceedings.

    One of them, who preferred anonymity told NAN that he came to get a new date for his matter slated for today, but met his colleagues waiting for proceedings and he joined them.

    Another lawyer, Mr Steve Imokhe said he was in court as a defence counsel for a matter slated for today, he said NBA should have gone round the courts to ensure compliance rather than giving a directive without monitoring it.

     Jigawa/Kano NBA chapter defy court boycott order

     The Jigawa branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) defied the order of its national body.

    The association, in a statement by its chairman, Mr Bashir Hussaini, said the state chapter would not participate in the nationwide court boycott.

    “The NBA, Dutse branch, expresses its deep concern over the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria.

    “However, the branch will not embark on any strike or boycott of our proceeding,” it said.

    The association described the suspension as “trying time” for the legal profession, and called on the parties to seek redress through legal means.

    “The situation is a trying time for the legal profession.

    “The parties should seek redress through legal means by appealing against the order of the tribunal for the suspension of the CJN, instead of boycotting courts that will be detrimental to the parties,” it advised.

    The Kano State branch of the NBA also did not comply with its national body’s order to boycott courts.

    The branch made its position known in a statement by its Secretary, Malam Mujtaba Ameen, in Kano.

    “We at Kano NBA Branch have decided that we will not ask any member of our branch to boycott courts for two days.

    “We should be responsible enough to do the best for our country, Nigeria, families, clients and the system as a whole,’’ he said.

    “We should endeavor to preserve the nobleness of our highly respected profession by being fair to the society and our children yet unborn,’’ Ameen said.

    A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited some Magistrates’ and Federal High Courts in Kano, said most of the judges reported for duties and entertained cases.

    Partial compliance at FHC Abuja

     The order was partially complied with at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Court 3 at the Federal High Court sat and was filled with lawyers.

    When some cases were called, there were no legal representations and no reason given for the absence of counsel.

    One of the lawyers, Hadiza Sani, who spoke to NAN, said that she was not aware of the order to boycott courts.

    Another lawyer who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that boycotting the courts, particularly on Jan. 29 would not be fair to his client, who had been in detention and had the opportunity to have his bail application heard.

    Mr F.A. Aba, also a lawyer, told NAN that he was in court only to take fresh dates for his cases and to tell his clients that the case had been adjourned.

     

    Strike stalls activities

    at FCT High Court, Apo

     

    Activities were stalled at FCT High Court, Apo, as lawyers complied with directive.

    A NAN correspondent, who visited the Apo High Court complex, said all the courts did not proceed with cases slated for the day.

    Lawyers, who came to court, said they were around to get new dates.

     

    Lawyers ignore NBA in Lagos

     

    The boycott recorded partial success in Ikeja High Court as very few lawyers came to court for hearings.

    Also many judges at the Ikeja High Court adjudicated over cases.

    However, a task force of the NBA disrupted proceedings in some of the courts, thereby forcing them to adjourn.

    The task force, for instance, told lawyers in Justice Iyabo Kasali’s courtroom to comply with the boycott directive.

    All the lawyers left the courtroom to prevent confrontation.

    Proceedings in Justice Raliatu Adebiyi’s courtroom were disrupted at 10.50 a.m. by the NBA task force as they directed lawyers present to comply with the boycott order

    The disruption made the judge to rise and adjourn proceedings.

    But the situation was a bit different at the Special Offences Courts at Justice Rosaline Omotoso Court House.

    Judges in the four courtrooms adjudicated over some cases.

    Justice Mojisola Dada commenced sitting at about 9.00 a.m. and rose at 10.30a.m., Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo and Justice Olusola Williams also sat over some cases in their courts.

    In Justice Sherifat Solebo’s courtroom, lawyers and litigants were seated awaiting the judge’s arrival.

    A judicial worker who pleaded anonymity told journalists that some of the courts rose early because many lawyers were absent.

    “I support NBA in the call for the boycott because it has to do with constitution.

    “If Justice Onnoghen has committed any crime, let due process be followed in removing him.

    At the Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court , Justice Abiola Soladoye began sitting at 9.00a.m. and was still adjudicating matters as at noon.

    In Justice Sybil Nwaka’s courtroom, lawyers and litigants were awaiting her arrival.

    Many lawyers entered appearance at the Lagos and Ikorodu Divisions of the Lagos State High Court yesterday, despite a Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) directive asking them to boycott the courts for two days.

    Many of the judges also reported for duty and entertained cases.

    A lawyer, who appeared before Justice Modupe Nicol-Clay at the Igbosere High Court, Michael Oyagha, explained why he shunned the order.

    Oyagha said: “The NBA directive is in order, however, some of us are not in agreement with it. The reason is that what we expected the NBA to do was not the first thing it did. In my opinion, the first thing the NBA should have done was to go to court and challenge the ex parte order made by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Rather it asked lawyers to boycott the courts for two days when there are matters scheduled for today.

    “There are defendants that would have been sent to prison if their lawyers hadn’t come to court today. This morning, for instance, a defendant was discharged. Assuming his lawyer didn’t show up today, he would have been sent back to prison.”

    Another lawyer, who shunned the directive at the Ikorodu Division, said he had no choice.

    Speaking on condition of anonymity, he’s said: “My principal assigned this case to me before travelling out of the country. Should I call him to say I would not be in court because the NBA asked us to boycott? I can’t do that, especially when I know he is not in support of the directive.

    “Besides, our NBA Chairman told us to go with our conscience on the matter. If you can afford to join the boycott, fine. If not, fine.”

    However, not all the high courts sat.

    The Court of Appeal on Lagos Island was one of them. It will not sit until next Monday, but not because of the NBA directive.

    The Nation learnt that this week has been designated as a conference week.

    At the Igbosere and Tinubu Magistrates’ Court on Lagos Island and the Yaba Magistrates’ Court on Lagos Mainland, there was no compliance with the boycott.

    But there appeared to be some compliance at the Badagry Division of the court.

    A member of the Badagry branch of the NBA, Chief Gerald Okorie said the branch was in full support of the directive.

    Okorie, who spoke to The Nation at the Tinubu Magistrates’ Court, said he and three of his colleagues, were there to monitor compliance with the boycott.

    He noted, however, that not every lawyer complied.

    Okorie said: “As far as the Nigerian Bar Association has taken a decision, we are bound by it as members of the association, and we are interested in following this matter up because we believe that Onnoghen is not the problem, we are the ones who are in problem. When you destroy the judiciary, you destroy the masses, you destroy the lawyers, you destroy the system, you destroy the government, you destroy even the politicians.”

    A Lagos-based lawyer, Maduka Onwukeme, said although he didn’t decide to join the buycott at the Igbosere High Court, the judge before whom he was to appear did not sit.

    Onwukeme said: “I came but the court wasn’t sitting. Honestly, I don’t think the reason for the buycott is altruistic.  I think it is self-serving. I don’t support the action of the President but I don’t support the CJN, too.

    “But then telling us to buycout the courts over the CJN and the President’s issues, I don’t think is right.”

     

  • Discordant tunes as APC’s post primary crises linger

    The post-primary crises rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are far from being over. Some aggrieved members are ventilating their anger through street protests. Others are warning the party’s leadership on the consequences of substituting candidates. ONYEDI OJIABOR and TONY AKOWE report the development.

    THE post-primary election crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not over yet. Unfolding developments in some stated yesterday showed that members of the party were still nursing grievances against the party.

    In Zamfara, some aggrieved members stormed the party’s state secretariat to the demand the removal of Adams Oshiomhole as the APC National Chairman.

    Some stakeholders in Imo State warned the party leadership against substituting some of the candidates in the name of automatic tickets. They said that automatic ticket is recognised neither by the party’s constitution nor by the Electoral Act.

    A source also narrated how the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) frustrated efforts spearheaded by Oshiomhole to ensure a return ticket to Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Musa.

     

    Call for Oshiomhole’s

    sack unnecessary

     

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Kabiru Garba Marafa, accused Governor Abdulaziz of sponsoring the protest in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, calling for Oshiomhole’s was.

    Marafa, s frontline governorship contender in Zamfara, said that a number of sponsored protesters stormed Gusau, the state capital yesterday calling for the immediate removal of Oshiomhole over his respect for the rule of law in the conduct of party primaries.

    The Zamfara Central senator in a statement he issued in Abuja, noted the protesters were “mobilised by the State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari following his inability to bend rules to impose candidates who are his cronies on the party in the state.”

    The ranking senator who is also as” leading governorship aspirant of the APC in Zamfara State,” said that Yari should be the one to be sacked and not Oshiomhole.”

    He described the APC national chairman as “a law abiding leader.”

    Marafa went on: “Yari and his co-travellers are wrong and Comrade Oshiomhole is right as far as the issues in the party are concerned.”

    The senator, who recalled the genesis of the party crisis in Zamfara, insisted that “primaries were not conducted in Zamfara State and there was no consensus either!”

    He said: “There was a court order that says all parties should not take any step that will render useless the litigation before it. The party under the able leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole respected the order and said all parties in the crisis should hands off.  The party and its leadership should be commended for respecting the law, a foundation upon which APC was built.

    “Two, when the committee of the NWC came to conduct the primary in Zamfara, violent orchestrated by people suspected to be supporters of the governor, erupted.

    The committee was forced to cancel the election. This is also a valid thing. The position taken by the governor that primaries should be conducted by the executives in his camp was irresponsible, contemptuous and height of lawlessness.

    “The crux of the matter is that there was no election and there was no consensus in Zamfara. So, we are commending Comrade Oshiomhole and INEC for respecting the court order.”

    Marafa said the millions of naira spent by Yari to allegedly organise the protest should have been channelled towards securing the release of 17 persons, including two young girls kidnapped in Dauran, Jangebe, Magami and other locations in the state.

    “The money spent on the protest should have been used to assist the security agencies in the state to rescue the abducted persons. The governor has stopped assisting security agencies with fund in the state in the last five months.”

    Marafa assured that majority of APC family members in Zamfara are solidly behind Oshiomhole and the leadership of the party.

     

    INEC’s stand on

    Zamfara APC wrong

     

    The Coalition of Democratic Watchdog of Nigeria yesterday called on the electoral umpire to revisit its disqualification of the APC from fielding candidates for elective positions in Zamfara for the 2019 general elections.

    National Coordinator of the Coalition Bob Opara made the call at a news conference in Abuja yesterday.

    The INEC had on October 10 said the APC was not eligible to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly positions in the state for the 2019 elections.

    In a letter by its acting Secretary Okechukwu Ndeche, the commission said the APC was not qualified to field candidates because it failed to conduct primaries in Zamfara within the stipulated time-frame.

    But Oshiomhole said the INEC got its information wrong. He insisted that the party held primaries in Zamfara contrary to the commission’s stance.

    He, however, said that primary election was not the only mode prescribed for producing party candidates for elections in the Amended Electoral Act 2010.

    Pitching the coalition’s tent with Oshiomhole, Opara said that the APC had held primaries in Zamfara, contrary to INEC‘s believe, adding that it was in the nation‘s interest for the commission to rectify the supposed disqualification ahead of the 2019 general election.

    He said: “In line with the provisions of section 153 of the 2010 amended Electoral Act, INEC is empowered to make regulations governing any election.

    “In this instance, INEC`s stipulation that party primaries should end on the October 7 was adhered to.

    “The international community is also watching with keen interest how an entire state controlled by the ruling APC is barred from fielding candidates in a primary that was well conducted.”

    He said the coalition had been monitoring events following the fallout of the APC primary elections held on October 3 and October 4 in Zamfara.

    Opara maintained that contrary to INEC‘s belief, the APC held primaries in Zamfara in the presence of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner; two Assistant Inspectors-General of Police; the Commissioner of Police in the state and the Director of  Department of State Services (DSS) in the state, among others.

    He said that the primaries were held across the 147 wards that made up the 16 local government areas of the state. Opara said violence, however, erupted in seven wards out of the 147 wards of the state.

    This, the coalition coordinator said, led to the cancellation of the elections in the affected local government areas which later held the next day being October 4.

    He, therefore, wondered why INEC was in a hurry to issue a statement disqualifying the APC from fielding candidates for Zanfara while the primaries was still ongoing.

     

    Tampering with candidates’ list

     

    In Imo, stakeholders cautioned the APC leadership against tampering with the list of candidates sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    They said the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act have no provision for automatic tickets, warning the APC leadership against substituting candidates’ names.

    According to the stakeholders, the aspirants being promoted by the party in the Southeast state lack the political wherewithal to win the state for the APC.

    They warned that the party risks losing Imo, should it replace the candidates produced by the primary conducted by the committee and whose names were forwarded to the NWC.

    Their spokesman, Okenze Sylvester Obinna, told a news conference in Abuja that the development within Imo APC could undermine the party’s political fortune in the state.

    He said: “We learnt that some party members who participated in the primary in Imo state had their names removed and four automatic ticket given to those who are aliens to the party and does not have what it takes to deliver Imo state in 2019.

    “I have never seen a party that wants to turn its political fortune upside down before. The four aspirants who won the primaries had their names removed and those who did not participate were used to replace them. This is not good for our party. We must not destroy the only airport that the APC has in the south east.”

    Leader of the Imo APC caucus in the House of Representatives, Nnanna Igbokwe, said the Electoral Act has no recognition for consensus as a mode of selecting candidates for the general election, warning that any party engaging in such an act will be playing to the gallery.

    Igbokwe warned that the act of substituting the candidates with those who did not win in the name of automatic ticket will be dangerous for the party.

    According to him, those seeking to represent the party should have gone to the field to test their popularity among the people, adding that the era of getting power through the back door was over.

    The lawmaker recalled how Governor Rochas Okorocha built the APC in Imo state and the Southeast “at a time when almost everybody in the region considered the party as a Northern party”.

    He said that those seeking tickets through the backdoor cannot win any election and therefore of no relevance in Imo politics.

  • 2019: Discordant tunes in Osun over zoning

    AS preparations for the September 22 governorship election in Osun State gathers momentum, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, has warned the APC against jettisoning the unwritten rule of zoning, saying the party risks losing the election if it fails to present a candidate from the western part of the state.

    But the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, disagrees, saying there is no need to adhere to any zoning arrangement, because it is not known to the party constitution. Oyetola, who is also an aspirant in the race, equally dismissed insinuations that he has been anointed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He said if that were to be the case he would not have bothered campaigning ahead of the party’s governorship primary scheduled for July 19.

    Adeoti who spoke at the APC national headquarters after submitting his nomination form amidst agitations and protests for the party to zone the governorship ticket to Osun West senatorial district since the two other zones have governed the state since 1999.

    He dismissed the reported endorsement of the Chief of Staff for the race, saying: “I am hearing that for the first time and I am saying it emphatically that if that should happen we would be getting it wrong, because even though there is no zoning in our constitution, I believe that indirectly there has been some sort of zoning.

    “When we started in 1999, it was Baba Akande from Osun Central that governed the state for four years. After him, Prince Oyinlola from the same Osun Central took over. However, both of them come from different constituencies. Baba Akande comes from Ila, while Oyinlola is from Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Local Government.

    “But both of them were from the central district. If their terms are put together, they spent 11 and half years. Governor Aregbesola is the person at the helm of affairs at the moment.  After spending the constitutionally mandated two four-year terms, the governor who is from Osun East is going to step down on the November 27. So, how does it sound for another person from Osun Central to take the seat? What would then be the fate of people from Osun West where I come from?”

    Adeoti argues that he is the most popular candidate for the job. He said: “Go and make a pilot survey, you will find out there that people are there for us; apart from what people are saying that the thing should go to Osun West, go and find out who is the popular candidate out of all. They will tell it is a current SSG, in person of Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti.

    “Anyone can come here and say that he is the most qualified. I have told you earlier that you should send somebody there to find out. Meanwhile, you have your people over there; you can inquire from them; they will confirm what I have just told you.

    “The position of the Secretary to the State Government as enshrined in the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria is the eyes and the ears of the executive, because all these programmes and the projects that have been done in Osun, I take the custody of each and every one of it.

    “Aside from that, I am to service the executive, because by constitution it is likened to the position of majority leader in the state House of Assembly and the House of Representatives at the federal level, because whenever we are going to present a memo, which relates to the projects we are going to handle, it is usually prepared by me, as the SSG. There is nothing going on in the administration that I am not conversant with.

    “Anybody can come here and say whatever he likes, but I have an edge, going by the mere fact that I have served in two executive positions; aside from my current position as SSG, I have also served as a local government chairman.

    “When we were in the opposition, I had been the chairman of the party for about seven years and three months. When were in opposition, when we were facing the people in government at the time, they didn’t even care for their members, let alone those of us in opposition. So, I believe I have an edge with the experience I had that time and the experience I had, being the chairman of my local government.”

     

     

     

     

  • Discordant tunes over digitalisation worry stakeholders

    • CCNL reiterates role in DSO process

    Nigeria’s digital transition has made appreciable progress. But, discordant tunes from operators in the broadcast industry indicate that more needs to be done to arrive at the destination.

    At the 67th General Assembly and 16th Annual General Meeting of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) held in Owerri, Imo State, Chairman of BON, Mr. John Momoh alleged that the licensing of the third parties such as Cable Channels Nigeria Limited (CCNL), manufacturers of Set Top Boxes (STB) and Inview Technology had created a clog in the actualisation of the digital switch over.

    Momoh, who is also the chairman, Channels Media Group, said it was illogical to have a middleman between a content producer and the signal distributor. Thus, he urged the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to ensure that all technical and coordination activities of the existing DTT pay source are resolved, otherwise, the digital switch over will not be actualised.

    But Director, Corporate Communication and Government Affairs of CCNL, Mr. Kalada Wilson, faulted Momoh’s position, insisting that CCNL remains a critical stakeholder in the digitalisation process. “Cable Channels Nigeria Limited (CCNL) is the licensed content aggregator and platform managers of FreeTV. The group is a consortium of Cable/MMDS operators and aggregators who have been in the business of aggregation and distribution for over 30 years.

    “CCNL plays an important and vital role in the Nigeria’s DSO process which provides operational support for the platform, including management of the FreeTV Electronic Programme Guide, leads on developing DTT strategy, and working with its broadcast signal distribution partners and industry to provide viewers with information and advice about terrestrial TV channels, services and reception available.”

    Wilson clarified that “content aggregation is and has been a global practice in all the countries where Digital Switch Over has been completed successfully.” Reference is made to Freeview/Freesat in UK; Freenet in Germany; and FreeView in Australia. Momoh is, therefore, urged to take some time out to study these successful models.

    According to Wilson, the STB manufacturers also play a very vital role in the Nigerian DSO ecosystem. “It is especially very important to content and channel owners as the FreeTV STB gives the content/channels owners security of their content with the help of the encryption system on the FreeTV boxes. For every successful digital switch over, you need Set-top-box suppliers with Encryption and the Middleware to manage the services on the box.”

    Acknowledging the fact that the role of the broadcasters, post-digital era, will be significant, Wilson stressed the importance of content creation and tasked broadcasters, especially BON members to brace up for this challenge by focusing on the following:

    • Creating good content on their channels, building great channels covering every genre and engaging the creative/production companies in co-production that will make Nigeria Number one in Africa.
    • The BON members should immediately engage the NBC and advertising industry in executing a reliable audience measurement regime that will guarantee commensurate revenues for channel owners and production companies post DSO. Without this, the whole DSO will not be sustainable.
    • The current situation where owing a channel has become a business of selling airtime is very analogue which is what we are transitioning from and unsustainable. Furthermore, the DSO structure will allow the TV channels return to the basics of creating content, as done in UK where Arqiva is the Signal Distributor, Freeview does the aggregation which thereby freed-up BBC, ITV, Channel 4 to become Content Power Houses.

    “It is pertinent to bring Mr. Momoh’s and BON members’ attention to the fact that Nigeria’s DSO process has become the most-talked about in Africa; it was designed by Nigerians, other countries including Ethiopia, Niger and Sierra Leone are keen on copying Nigeria’s DSO framework. Television is about great channels and content and it’s time Nigerian Content owners focus on creating exciting and new content and not on transmission, aggregation, encryption and/or STBs,” Wilson said.