Minister Tasks New NTA Board On Professionalism, National Integration

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
challenged the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to leverage on its
rich experience and the unique power of technology to enhance its
professionalism, while also serving as an effective tool of national
integration.

The Minister issued the challenge on Tuesday while inaugurating the
new Management Board of the NTA, chaired by Chief Duro Onabule.

”The NTA’s key function is to provide independent and impartial
television broadcasting for general reception as a public service in
the interest of Nigeria. No other television station in Nigeria is
charged with the same social responsibility of public interest
broadcasting. Accordingly, the NTA must continue to serve as a tool
for National Integration,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed said the NTA must borrow a leaf from its golden era of
the 1980s-1990s, when it churned out relevant, impactful and desirable
programmes such as Village Headmaster, Sa Manja, Masquerade, Cock Crow
at Dawn, Behind the Clouds, Mirror in the Sun, Bala Miller Show and
Giant in the Sun, in its efforts to reposition itself for a more
stellar future.

He said while the NTA cannot afford to indulge in the ”political
arguments” over how it lost its shine, ”there is a clear challenge
in front of us, to take the NTA to new heights, to re-establish our
social contract with our viewers and audiences, to lead the way in
keeping the nation informed and educated, and all this while stepping
boldly into the new future of digital broadcasting that is already
threatening to leave us behind. We must take on these objectives
without fear, favour or distraction.”

The Minister urged the new management board to ensure that the new
content development strategy for the NTA promotes government
initiatives and programmes in a more professional manner; and that the
television station must explore strategic partnerships with key
government MDAs as well as strategic partnerships with key foreign
partners and investors in media and broadcasting.

He described the ongoing transition from Analogue to Digital
broadcasting, known as Digital Switch Over (DSO), as a new dawn for
programming in Nigeria and Africa.

”It comes pregnant with opportunities to do things in a better way.
The availability of more television channels and the
changes in the structure of signal delivery opens up new possibilities
in both public and private broadcasting. Besides Dramas and Soaps, the
NTA also needs to invest urgently in a wide variety of programming
types to give more depth and breadth to its broadcast.

”In the seemingly ‘traditional’ areas like news gathering and
presentation, the NTA must strive to regain top spot. We must exert
our creativity, independence and resources to gain traction over rival
outlets. We must become reputed as a neutral, truthful and
professional media outlet at the fore of the quest to bring integrity
into today’s world of ‘alternative facts’ and ‘fake news’.”

Responding on behalf of the board, the Chairman, Chief Onabule, thanked
President Buhari for finding them worthy of the appointment and pledged
to partner with the Minister to reposition NTA for effective service delivery,

Other members of the board are: Dr. Steve Egbo, Abdul Hamid Salisu
Dembos, Mohammed Labo, Fatima Bada, Stephen Okpanachi and Wole
Coker.