The Federal Government has announced that Nigeria’s long-awaited Digital Switch Over (DSO) project is now ready for nationwide launch, marking a major step in the country’s transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this during a tour of facilities at NIGCOMSAT located at the Obasanjo Space Centre on Wednesday.
According to the minister, the Digital Switch Over platform is scheduled for official commissioning on June 17, 2026, after years of delays in implementing the project.
Mohammed Idris described the development as a major breakthrough for Nigeria’s broadcasting industry, saying the transition would improve television viewing quality, expand competition, and increase access to free television services across the country.
“I think this is a new dawn for our country.
The promise that Bola Tinubu made to reform all sectors is now being seen in action in the broadcast industry,” the minister said.
He explained that the new digital broadcasting system would provide improved audience measurement and analytics, helping broadcasters and advertisers make better programming and investment decisions.
The minister added that the transition would also move Nigeria from Standard Definition (SD) broadcasting to High Definition (HD), while viewers would enjoy cleaner television signals through satellite and mobile applications powered by NIGCOMSAT technology.
The Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Charles Ebuebu, said the upgraded DSO framework was designed to align with modern technologies and changing viewing habits.
According to him, the new platform would support wider accessibility through satellite broadcasting and mobile applications beyond the pilot cities previously covered under the earlier DSO programme.
“We’re going to have 100 channels by the day of launch and even more because more content producers are talking to us.
We want to create one market and one platform for Nigeria,” Ebuebu said.
Also speaking during the tour, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIGCOMSAT, Jane Egerton-Idehen, described the partnership between NIGCOMSAT and NBC as a strategic collaboration aimed at improving service delivery and strengthening Nigeria’s digital broadcasting ecosystem.
Other officials present during the tour included the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority, Salihu Abdullahi Dembos; Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Baba Ndace; Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Mohammed Bulama; and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu.
