By Beryl Odele
The Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris (Fnipr), has publicly declared that after many years of delay, Nigeria is finally set to transition from analogue to digital broadcasting with the soon to be commissioned Digital Switch Over (DSO) project.
The Minister made this known during a tour of facilities at Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) at the Obasanjo Space Centre, FCT, Abuja on Wednesday 13 May, 2026 as contained in a statement signed by Rabiu Ibrahim (Mnipr), his special assistant on Media.
Idris explicitly stated that the DSO project is now fully ready for nationwide launch 17 June, 2026, describing it as a major milestone in President Tinubu’s reform agenda for the broadcast industry.
The Minister described this development as a new dawn for our country and as a turning point for Nigeria’s broadcasting sector. He said the promise President Tinubu made to reform all sectors is now being seen in action in the broadcast industry.
Idris also spoke about the benefits of the new digital broadcasting ecosystem. He said,. “many of the channels have been unbundled and this is going to bring a lot of advantages to all the broadcasters, viewers and advertisers.”
He further stated that the standard measurement that was absent in the previous experiment is now being made available here. The new system will provide accurate audience measurement and analytics that will help advertisers and broadcasters make informed programming and investment decisions while improving content delivery to Nigerians.
Highlighting the broader economic and technological impact of the project, the Minister stressed that the DSO platform will deepen competition in the broadcasting industry, expand access to free television services, as well as improve viewing quality across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. He assured that Nigerians will now enjoy cleaner television signals through satellite and mobile applications powered by NIGCOMSAT technology.
Speaking during the tour, Director-General (DG), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Charles Ebuebu said that the upgraded DSO framework was designed to align with emerging technologies and modern viewing habits. Mr. Ebuebu explained that the new system leverages satellite broadcasting and mobile applications to ensure wider accessibility among the younger population who like things on the go and also go beyond the pilot cities previously covered under the earlier DSO experiment.
The DG expressly stated that, “we’re going to have 100 channels by the day of launch and even more because more content producers are talking to us..” He also highlighted the establishment of regional production studios and multilingual customer support centres across the country.
Also speaking during the tour, MD/CEO of NIGCOMSAT, Jane Egerton-Idehen described the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT and NBC as a strategic partnership that has strengthened service delivery and raised operational standards within Nigeria’s digital broadcasting ecosystem. She said that on-going investments and satellite expansion plans under the current administration will guarantee reliable and continuous service delivery.
The Minister was accompanied on the tour by DG, NBC, Mr. Charles Ebuebu, the MD/CEO, NIGCOMSAT, Mrs Nkechi Jane Egerton-Idehen, DG, NTA, Comr. Salihu Abdullahi Dembos, DG, VON, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, DG, FRCN, Dr. Mohammed Bulama and DG, NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, DG, NAN, Ali M. Ali as well as other senior government officials and dignitaries.