By Fatima Saka
As the world is moving its target towards actualizing digital technologies efficiency and smooth generating and storing of data processing, the Senate Chairman Committee on information and National Orientation Senator. Engr Kenneth Emeka Eze has frowned over National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) still operating on analogs.
The Distinguished Senator added that there is intervention regarding the urgent need to move over to digital.
This was discovered as the NBC appeared for a budget presentation before the Senate Committee on information and National Orientation on Wednesday in Abuja.
He stressed that the whole globe is going digital and NBC is still operating on analog, adding that It’s against the standard already raised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, which Nigeria is signatory to. “As quickly as possible, we’re in a haste to move to digital.”
“And it’s a project that started in 2015. It’s just a project that is ongoing. And I believe the new DG that was appointed was exclusively directed to ensure that the implementation of digital is switched over.”
Speaking to journalists after the committee meeting on the regulations of online media practitioners, the senator representing Ebonyi Central senatorial district said the efficiency of technology is fast and very dynamic.
He expressed that before the establishment of the Act was enacted, online media were not considered.
“But the advent of the media, the fact that media is not predominant there and that’s why there is a need for the implementation of the Act establishing NBC.
“Which is ongoing, has passed first reading. We’re waiting for a second reading now.
“To take care of those developments, like you rightly said, regulating the media. They can’t regulate it if they are not empowered to do that. And the Act, the repayment, is going to take care of that aspect of it, by the time we amend the Act establishing it. And empowered by law to regulate the media industry.”
That’s a good one, for the man that knows the need of information and technology.