Broadcasting
TVC to Open New Radio Station in Abuja
Andrew Hanlon, chief executive of TVC Communications, has said that his company will open a new radio station in Abuja in April.
Hanlon who disclosed this when he visited Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture on Tuesday in Abuja.
TVC Communications, based in Lagos, owns TVC Nigeria, a national station, Radio Continental and Adaba radio station in Ondo state.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, urged the media to contextualize their reporting so that looters who destroyed Nigeria would not be made to look like its messiahs.
The minister did not mention any specific looter.
However, he noted that “the same people who presided over yesterday’s looting of our treasury are today posing as would-be saviours of Nigerians””.
”We are on a rescue mission. However, the way a section of the media is reporting the challenges facing the country today does not reflect that understanding.
“They are making a corrective administration to look like the culprit, to give the impression that the rain started beating us in Nigeria only from May, 29 2015, to play down the challenges that this Administration has faced and which it is successfully tackling.
”For example, we did not get to where we are today in just three years. It has taken successive decades of bad governance, unbridled corruption, and lack of probity, a culture of impunity and a near state of anarchy.
” These are the ills this Administration inherited and which it has set out to tackle, and this is what the media must reflect in their reporting,” Mohammed said.
The Minister said the situation of the country was prevented from becoming worse because of the prudence, probity and the anti-corruption stance of the present administration. He added:
“Instead of recession, Nigeria could have had a total collapse of the economy and the power grid could have collapsed.”
Mohammed further said that the manner in which the government handled Boko Haram, prevented the insurgents from overrunning Abuja just as it did major towns in the North East.
He also said that the country’s “food imports could have tripled what it was pre-May, 29 2015 and the Naira might have been worse hit.”
The minister, therefore, challenged the media to do more to educate Nigerians that it was hard to build but easy to destroy, noting that “the same people who presided over yesterday’s looting of our treasury are today posing as would-be saviors of Nigerians.”
He said it was the responsibility of the media to educate Nigerians about efforts being made by the administration to rebuild the nation “almost from the scratch with 60 per cent less revenue” while corrupt ones paint the government bad.
According to him, apart from low revenue and deflated foreign reserve, the Buhari administration came into being when the Federal Government was borrowing to pay salary and 27 states were owing workers salaries and unable to pay contractors for years.
This, he added, was apart from poor infrastructure, low power generation, trillions of naira wasted as fuel subsidy, empty treasury and most parts of Borno under total control of insurgents.
”Today, the trend is being reversed and the results are showing as Foreign Reserves is now $42.8 billio, inflation has fallen for 12 consecutive months to 15.13%, N108 billion has been saved from the removal of maintenance fees payable to banks pre-TSA.
” The nation is saving N24.7 billion monthly with the full TSA implementation, the elimination of ghost workers has saved the nation N120 billion, capital inflow reached $1.8 billion in the second quarter of 2017, almost double the $908 million in the first quarter.
“While Nigeria’s stock market is one of the best-performing in the world, delivering returns in excess of 40 percent.
”Nigeria has also jumped 24 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking and earned a place on the List of Top 10 Reformers in the world.
“The administration has repeatedly given bailouts for states to pay salary. “The administration’s Agricultural Revolution is a huge success, with agriculture export up year-on-year by 25%, rice import from Thailand dropping 644,000 metric tonnes to 22,000 metric tonnes and rice farmers growing from 5 million to 12.3 million.
” The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme has created jobs for 61,352 cooks, and it is providing 6.4 million school children in 33,981 schools across 20 states with one meal a day,” he said.
Mohammed also said that the N-Power programme has employed 200,000 graduates, power generation had reached an all-time high of over 7,000 megawatts and that infrastructural development was going on at a massive rate across the country.
He said a free press was indispensable to democracy, and assured that the Buhari administration would not do anything to stifle the press.
MTN Group, one of Africa’s leading mobile network operators, has announced a strategic partnership with UK-based video software provider Synamedia to develop a new streaming platform tailored for mobile and fixed broadband subscribers across the continent.
Through the partnership, MTN aims to enhance digital content accessibility and cater to the evolving preferences of African audiences.
“We see a unique opportunity to transform video consumption in Africa with high-quality, accessible, and relevant content,” said Selorm Adadevoh, Group Chief Commercial Officer at MTN Group.
“This partnership enables us to leverage cutting-edge technology and deep customer insights to enhance entertainment experiences and drive digital inclusion.”
With the new streaming platform, MTN enters the streaming market in competition with streaming giants like Netflix, Showmax, Multichoice, and Prime Video.
By leveraging Synamedia’s advanced cloud-based technologies, the service will deliver linear television and video-on-demand content.
It is designed to support various monetisation models, including subscriptions, ad-supported content, and free streaming channels with targeted advertising.
The streaming service will offer locally adapted content based on a curated content strategy.
Each market will benefit from content curated to reflect local cultures, languages, and viewing habits, ensuring that viewers across the continent resonate with its offerings.
“Thanks to MTN’s leadership and innovation, smartphone owners across Africa will be able to enjoy innovative linear TV and on-demand video,” Paul Segre, Synamedia, CEO, said.
“By taking advantage of the breadth of our integrated, cloud-based portfolio to quickly deploy new services at scale, MTN will be able to create a groundbreaking set of offerings for customers and viewers that will drive new revenues.”
Alhaji Mohammed Idris, minister of Information and National Orientation, has said that the federal government has commenced investing in cutting-edge technologies and acquiring state-of-the-art equipment for federal media organisations to ensure effective service delivery.
Alhaji Mohammed Idris, minister of Information and National Orientation,
Alhaji Idris stated this in Las Vegas during discussions with leading broadcast and information companies at the ongoing National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show 2025.
He said such investments have led to the upgrade and replacement of obsolete infrastructure across radio and television stations owned by the Federal Government.
Dr Suleiman Haruna, director, Public Relations and Protocol, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, said the ministry was already forging partnerships with broadcast equipment manufacturers to avail local broadcasters the opportunity to benefit from emerging technologies and industry-specific training.
The minister underscored the commitment of government to collaborate with key stakeholders in the global information and broadcasting sector to strengthen Nigeria’s information dissemination framework.
Some of the executives who received the Minister and his team are Thomas King, Chairman of KINTRONIC Laboratories; Enrico Vaccari, COO of Axel Technology SRL; Gianluca Baccalini, System Engineering Solutions; and Calvin Carter, COO of Continental Electronics.
They all expressed their organisations’ readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government to enhance Nigeria’s broadcasting landscape and regulatory agencies.
Alhaji Idris is leading a delegation of senior officials, including Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos (Director-General/CEO Nigeria Television Authority), Ali Muhammed Ali (Managing Director/CEO of News Agency of Nigeria), Charles Ebuebu (Director-General/CEO of National Broadcasting Commission), Dr Lekan Fadolapo (Director-General, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria), and Jibrin Baba Ndace (Director-General/CEO, Voice of Nigeria).
The NAB show, running from April 5 to 9, with the theme “The Technology, The Trend, The Future”, provides valuable insights into industry trends, covering topics such as Artificial Intelligence, cloud visualization, the creator economy, and sports production and streaming.
The Nigerian delegation aims to forge new partnerships, explore content-sharing opportunities, and enhance collaboration within the global broadcasting sector, ultimately advancing the country’s media industry.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, former Nigerian Vice President, has called for stronger enforcement of Intellectual Property (IP) protections across Nigeria and the African continent.
Speaking during the National IP Stakeholders Forum held at the UN Building, Abuja, in commemoration of WIPO Nigeria 5th anniversary, Osinbajo highlighted the role of innovation and creativity in driving economic growth.
He emphasised the need to enhance copyright enforcement and digital rights management on platforms like YouTube, Spotify and Netflix, urging more support for artistes and filmmakers to protect their works both nationally and internationally. Osinbajo also stressed the importance of safeguarding Nigeria’s folklore and traditional expressions to unlock their commercial potential.
Addressing the challenges of IP enforcement, the former Vice President called for international cooperation, public awareness and legal reforms to combat piracy and protect Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
He also advocated for a unified African IP system to streamline patent rights and create a larger market for African innovators.
Speaking at the event, Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John Asein, reaffirmed NCC’s commitment to fostering a vibrant IP system through collaboration with WIPO Nigeria Office and other stakeholders. He lauded WIPO’s impact on Nigeria’s IP landscape.
Director, WIPO Nigeria Office, Dr. Oluwatobiloba Moody while welcoming participants expressed gratitude for the continued support from the Nigerian government and stakeholders.
The forum aims to provide a platform for ongoing discussions on IP development in Nigeria.
Some of the dignitaries at the event were the Hon. Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Mrs. Hannatu Musawa; Director-General, NOTAP, Barr. Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, Representative of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Onowu, Director-General SMEDAN and many others.
MTN Battles Netflix, Showmax with New Streaming Platform
FG Begin Technical Upgrade of Government-Owned Media
Prof Osinbajo Seeks Stronger IP Protection in Nigeria, Africa
Evans Woherem’s Book, “Building A New Africa” Charts Bold Vision For Africa’s Future
FG to Invest in Cutting-edge Broadcast Technology
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