NTA laments, says free coverage for MDAs, a burden

The management of the Nigerian Television Authority has lamented that Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government often invite the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in order to get live broadcast of their events by the national television network.

NTA’s Director-General, Yakubu Mohammed, while appearing before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values for 2022 budget defence in Abuja on Tuesday, said such free coverage has become a burden on the station.

Mohammed said, “We are always talking about our problems and when we do, the committee gives us a shoulder on which to lean on, but the problems persist.

“Among these problems are inadequate funding, non-completion of NTA’s permanent site, dilapidated buildings and equipment all over the country and the digitisation funding which the minister (Lai Mohammed) has spoken about yesterday.

“We are also facing the problem of free coverage. Most people think because it is a Federal Government’s establishment, they can just get this for free, forgetting that we do have our charges — we do have our cost. Some of the services we provide attract cost and then, we have competition and all other issues.
The competition for example, not every part of NTA is digitalised. For example, you go out with a digital camera, then you bring in pictures; in the process of transmission, you transmit using analogue equipment. At the end of the day, the pictures are not as bright as they should be.”

According to the DG, NTA is capable of making enough money to sustain itself if it is left alone and not seen as a government’s station that is there for everybody to come and enjoy free services.

Mohammed added, “Everybody thinks that NTA is a government establishment — it belongs to all of us. So, we go to NTA, get the services offered by NTA for free. I did mention that our services attract a cost. For example, for every large coverage I do, I pay Intelsat in hard currency.

“Right now on my desk, I have a letter from a government agency that I am sure has a budget for media publicity, asking me to give them four hours of live coverage free of charge plus 9 o’clock news free announcement on the network news.

“What ministries, agencies and parastatals of government do is that they invite the minister (Lai Mohammed) to be the guest of honour at an event because they know that once the minister is there, NTA must cover. So, these are the kind of things that prevent us from making money.”

https://punchng.com/nta-laments-says-free-coverage-for-mdas-a-burden/

NTA is as useless as Buhari.

Lam bring after collecting $500m loan which Lia said would make them become cnn

One of the benefits of watching NTA is that you will be free from all the negative things that's are happening in Nigeria

Section of the country will be in crisis and NTA Wil be busy showing Argungu fishing Festival or rice harvest from a plantation in Taraba

So nta still dey exist?