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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Association of Licensed Set-Top Box Manufacturers of Nigeria (STBMAN) has warned that the National Broadcasting Commission’s (NBC) planned digital switch could trigger confusion and disrupt information flow ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement signed in Abuja by its Chairman, Sir Godfrey Ohuabunwa, the group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene and halt what it described as a rushed and unclear process.
STBMAN said millions of Nigerians still depend on free-to-air broadcasting for news, civic education and election coverage, warning that a poorly managed transition could cause signal disruption, misinformation and unequal access to information during the polls.
The association argued that the current arrangement being promoted by NBC does not reflect the full Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) migration approved in the 2012 Digital Switchover (DSO) White Paper, but is mainly an aggregation of channels on NigComSat platforms.
It also accused NBC of creating a conflict of interest by acting as both regulator and content aggregator.
The group called for immediate suspension of the process pending wider consultations with broadcasters, manufacturers, signal distributors and technical experts.
STBMAN also demanded:
National stakeholders’ roundtable;
Independent legal and technical review;
Review of the 2012 DSO White Paper;
Nationwide public sensitisation.
“Mr President, Nigeria cannot afford confusion in its broadcasting system as the nation prepares for another critical democratic transition,” the statement said.
