Nigeria’s leadership is the deadweight slowing down the pace of development in the country said Raymond Dokpesi, the chairman of Daar Communication Plc at a breakfast meeting organised by the School of Media and Communication, Pan-African University.

He said Nigerians, being naturally passionate about their ambitions have all it takes to be the best in any endeavour, “only if we get rid of these deadwoods in the leadership [position].”

Mr. Dokpesi who spoke on “the pains and gains of establishing a world class media enterprise,” recounted the ordeals he had to contend with in the hands of Nigerian leadership before his African Independent television could attain its current status.

Broadcast commission is ruining private media

Mr. Dokpesi said the policies of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission is not only weird when compared to global best practices but are designed to “kill private media houses before they even start.” For example, the license fee in 1994 was N750,000 but it is now in excess of N100m.

“In the US, two or three networks can collaborate to share a license but not in Nigeria,” he said.

He passionately condemned the means of funding private and government-owned media houses, describing it as a death sentence for private media houses.

As he explained, private media houses are funded through advert subscriptions while public media houses are funded through government’s subventions.

In essence, public media houses should air no advert since they are funded with taxpayers’ money.

“But in Nigeria, NTA receives between fifteen to twenty billion naira annually from the government and still collect adverts,” he said.

Here lies the death sentence: advert rates on public media houses are at rock bottom low forcing their private counterparts to adopt economically nonviable advert rates and “if you try to increase your rate, NBC will say ‘no, you can’t go beyond this price’.

So after a media house has paid the huge license fee and bought equipment, it can only run for about three years before it stars having financial problems,” he said.

Annual return to the NBC is another death blow in the form of policy.

“They said Section 14 [of the NBC act] empowers the commission to collect 2.5 percent of revenue of media houses annually, a levy that no public media house is forced to remit,” he said.

A bereft regulator

Mr. Dokpesi described Nigerian broadcast technology as half a century behind current technologies, even though the country started broadcasting well ahead of many other African countries.

“These people spend their estacodes in hotels when they travel abroad instead of exposing themselves to technological developments in the industry,” he said while narrating how the NBC “arrogantly” turned down his proposal for a pilot digital transmission. They asked if he really thought Nigerians are as freaky about technology as he was.

“Ben Bruce, while at NTA spent more than N60 billion buying analog transmitters - new equipment but obsolete technology. And today, those equipment are useless,” he said.

Support the media houses

Mr. Dokpesi pleaded with Nigerians to support ambitious and credible media houses so they do not die. “What we need is accurate and timely information about ourselves and the opportunities around us. But most Nigerians know next to nothing about their country not to talk of other African countries,” he said.

He also has kind words for Nigerian journalists, describing them as having made tremendous sacrifice towards Nigeria’s development. And there is good news for AIT’s officials as the chairman promised to pay all salary arrears; however, that promise is tied to the payment of AIT’s services, rendered to the federal government during the 2009 U20 World Cup event.

“The money I could have used for salaries had to be drafted to provide an international broadcast control centre for the event because NTA, even after getting N8.6 billion from the government, will not provide it,” he said.

Because of the quality of the broadcast for the event, the event’s Vice Chairman has been appointed as a permanent member of FIFA and AIT will be supporting the forthcoming World Cup in South Africa with some of its equipment.

“Though Nigeria keeps getting the glory, AIT doesn’t and N8.6 billion went down the drain.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” concluded Mr. Dokpesi who said he will never contest an election in Nigeria, though he will forever be interested in Nigerian politics, “it has been pains all along. I pray that soon the gains will start coming in.”

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/5553170-147/get_rid_of_political_deadwoods_dokpesi.csp

I feel his pain. One of those that have sacrificed a lot and is still sacrificng so much to keep opposition alive in Nigeria. he is the only one who puts his mouth where his money is and clearly opposes bad polices: We remember AIT role in discrediting third term, AIT role during YarAduas Unconstitutional Absence. His unpaid expenses during Junior world cup. His burnt station, All i can say is that is one man with a lion heart, its easy to criticise when you have nothing at stake

hatch#:

when will this westlemania match between Dokpesi and NBC ever end ! They are always at each others throats ?

i just can,t stand daft people. why can,t you stick to the issues, must you post by all means?

dokpesi keep on moving on, you will get there.

>Ben Bruce wasted N60 billion on obsolete equipments!!!!!!!!!!!
And the man is still walking around free without hinderance,

Sir
No one could have said it any better. A New Face. A New Direction. A New Vision. A New Nigeria for Nigerians as a focus is as simple as it gets. Why can't we do that collectively. What do you think about what this guy is proposing www.anewnigerianow.net.