Federal Republic of Nigeria Unveils Nigeria Air as New National Flag Carrier

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has unveiled the country’s new national flag carrier, Nigeria Air, due to be launched in December this year.

Revealing the branding at the Farnborough International Airshow, the Senator from the Federal Government of Nigeria, said in a statement: “I am very pleased to tell you that we are finally on track to launching a new national flag carrier for our country: Nigeria Air. We are all fully committed to fulfilling the campaign promise made by our President, Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.”

The airline will be run through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and will have the support of the government, but Senator Sirika stressed that the government will not own more than 5% of the carrier and will not be involved in the running of the airline.

While the Senator did not reveal what aircraft the airline will be flying, the Government of Nigeria tweeted that the airline is speaking to Boeing and Airbus in negotiations. Senator Sirika hinted that an announcement will be made soon.

Out of 1,500 possible routes considered, Senator Sirika said they have selected 81 for the airline’s network, split into 40 domestic and regional routes and the remaining 41 to be international.

The airline has recently obtained its Certificate of Compliance from the Nigerian Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and will now search for investors.

Senator Sirika said: “I am confident that we will have a well-run national flag carrier, a global player, compliant to international safety standards, one which has the customer at its heart. An airline that communicates the essence of our beautiful country, an airline we can all be proud of.”

The Senator told the press conference that they want to make a statement with the airline of “Yes we can do it” as well as promoting the culture and traditions of the country.

The branding and naming was developed following a social media campaign encouraging Nigerian youth and students to submit a name for the new flag carrier, with over 400,000 people engaging with the campaign.

The Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) also commissioned market research across the country including with aviation stakeholders, politicians, Nigerian business owners, which concluded: “People are hungry for a unifying national flag carrier.”

The national carrier is part of the Ministry of Transport (Aviation)’s road map which also includes airport concessions, a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility centre and an aircraft leasing company.

The Nigerian Government will support the launch of the flag carrier with viability gap funding. In a statement it said the flag carrier will be: “Guided by the international ICAO standards, that will stand the IOSA audit from the start, and lead to a fast IATA membership for international operation.”

TIPS: HOW TO REMAIN SAFE DURING PLANE EMERGENCY LANDING

Story by Louis Ibah  

Tearing through the sky at speeds sometimes ranging between 500-600 miles per hour and at altitudes of 30 to 40,000 feet, flying in an aircraft certainly creates anxiety among numerous passengers.   Safety questions such as the following constantly run through the minds of even the most frequent air passenger: what if the engine fails mid-air? What if fire engulfs the aircraft? What if the landing gears, the tyres refuse to come out when landing? What happens if there is a loss of pressure? If a passenger or crew has a medical emergency, what happens? And of course, what do i do if the aircraft is about to crash?

If you find yourself among the numerous passengers that the above questions run riot in their minds during a flight, the most assuring response you can get from experts in the aviation industry is that flying remains the safest transport mode designed by man.     But that does not imply that an aircraft, like another man-made mechanical or electrical device is not susceptible to failure; it simply infers that in the manufacturing and operation of an aircraft, there are more than enough  safety and security facilities/technologies, processes and regulations designed not to make it fail.

And one piece of information that can also be reassuring is that 80 per cent of all airplane crashes happen within the first three minutes after take-off or in the last eight minutes before landing. The fact that most accidents happen on take-off means you should feel very safe and relaxed to enjoy the journey once an aircraft has attained a cruising altitude.

What if something goes wrong?

Sometimes, things do go wrong in an aircraft either during take-off or landing or even in the course of the flight.   In fact, in airports across the globe, and on daily basis, there are repeated incidences that demand the abortion of a flight or an emergency or crash-landing by pilots.       According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), of the United State of America, 40 percent of airline crash fatalities occur in crashes that are survivable. In other words, many deaths are preventable only if passengers knew the proper steps to take to safeguard their lives.              

Right steps to take 

The odds of dying in a commercial airline flight that is involved in an accident or incident like an emergency or crash-landing are actually as low as 9 million to 1. The decisions you make could make the difference between life and death. Almost 95 per cent of airplane crashes have survivors, so even if the worst does happen, your still have the chance to survive.                          

Read the safety card

Always ensure that you read the safety card of the aircraft that is usually tucked in the seat in front of you. Make an effort to understand it; ask questions from cabin crew even if you do it with a joke. Don’t assume you know it all or that it doesn't matter. Always listen to the pre-flight safety speech. Yes, you may have heard it all before, and you’ll probably never need it, but if you keep your headphones on during the pre-flight instructions or ignore the safety card, you’ll be missing out on information that could be vital in the event of an emergency landing or a crash.

Get out in 90 seconds

Whether the aircraft lands on land or is ditched in water, in any emergency, always aim to get out of the aircraft within the first. 90 seconds. According to the US National Transportation Safety Board, 68 percent of plane crash deaths are due to post-crash fire, not injuries sustained from the impact in the crash itself. The smoke in an airplane fire can be very thick and highly toxic. Fire and smoke are responsible for the largest percentage of crash fatalities. And it takes, on average, just 90 seconds for a fire to engulf the plane’s fuselage. So as soon as a crash-landing occurs, take immediate action to get to an emergency exit and get off the plane. Protect yourself from smoke.  

Oxygen mask

If the emergency involves the loss of pressure, avoid becoming complacent and remember that it takes only a few seconds of oxygen deprivation to cause mental impairment, so if the oxygen mask drops, make all the effort to put it on right away (before assisting others). Do not expect assistance from flight attendants because they might be incapacitated during emergencies. 

Assume the brace position

The brace position can increase your chances of survival in an emergency crash landing. In addition to fastening your seatbelt low and tight, bend over with your forehead over your lap and your arms holding your knees. Alternatively, lean forward so your forehead is touching the head of the seat in front of you, bend your arms and place your hands and forearms against the seat back as well (on either side of your face).

Assessing the situation

Think faster. If the plane is going to crash, you almost always have several minutes to prepare before impact.. Use this time to once again review where the exits are.

Try to determine what surface the plane will land on so you can customize your preparations. If you’re going to be landing in water, for example, put on your life jacket but do not inflate it. If you inflate it in the plane, when it starts to fill up with water, the life jacket will force you upwards against the cabin roof and it will be very hard to swim back down, leaving you trapped. Instead, hold your breath and swim out, once you’re out, inflate it.

Know the exit row

Once there is an emergency, count the number of seats between your seat and the exit row. Find the exit closest to you, and count the number of seats that it’ll take to get to it. If the plane crash lands, it could be smoky, loud, or confusing in the cabin afterward. If you need to escape, you might have to feel your way to the exit, which will be a lot easier if you know where it is and how far.

If you’re sitting in an exit row, study the door and make sure you know how to open it if you need to. In normal circumstances the flight attendant will open the door, but if they are injured or incapacitated, you’ll need to do it. Majority of the passengers who experience tragedies in air accidents are those that are considered mentally and physically unhealthy or unfit. People who are fit have an easier time navigating the narrow aisles with speed and precision

It therefore makes a lot of safety sense for persons who consider themselves as unfit to always go for seats at the tail of the aircraft where they have 40 percent higher survival rates than those in the first few rows, in the event of a crash. Because a quick escape gives you the best chance for survival, it’s best to get seats as close as possible to an exit, on the aisle, and in the back of the plane.

Yes, it’s actually statistically safer to fly economy than first-class. You save money and stay safer.

Remember the ‘Plus 3/Minus 8’ Rule

Nearly 80 percent of plane crashes occur in the first three minutes after take-off or the last eight minutes before landing. During this time, always strive to be extra vigilant, it’s not the best time to sleep, rather you should stay alert and awake.  Be sure your seatbelt is securely fastened (low and tight), and avoid drinking or eating during these periods of take-off or landing.

NAAE assures airspace users on functionality of Navigational Aids (NAVAIDS)

PRESIDENT of National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) Engr Ishaya Chuwang Dung has said that navigational aids around the country are working at optimal capacity and has assured pilots and airspace users of the functionality of equipments.

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He made this known while speaking in an interview with journalists in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state at the just concluded air traffic controllers’ annual general meeting, where he explained that users were satisfied with the operational level of equipment provided by the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency NAMA to ensure seamless operations.

“The airspace is safe and there has been a great improvement in the navigational aids especially in the area of communications and we are ready to fix all non functional equipment to ensure seamless operations in the country’s airspace”

The NAAE president assured of stabilizing the system through unity in NAMA especially with other professional colleagues to achieve the aims and objectives of NAMA noting, that disunity has been the bane of the association.

Dung pledged to work together with other associations stressing that the emergence of Capt Fola Akinkuotu as the NAMA boss has cemented the relationship between workers and other professional bodies in the agency.

On workers remuneration, the NAAE leader said there was room for improvement as workers were still agitating for enhanced salary but added that the management was working on welfare package for workers especially NAAE.

He however decried the shortage of personnel in the engineering department saying that the attention of management has been drawn to it.

Dung noted that the shortage of personnel will be a challenge but explained that it will not have negative impact on the system like grounding their operations.

He decried the challenges posed by adequate spare parts to work with and unstable power supply and advised management to replace spare parts.

While stressing the need for training and retraining, the NAAE boss assured that engineers will continue to partner management to ensure safer airspace.

Technical Advisers; National Assembly to probe Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 Concession

Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos

National Assembly’s joint committee on aviation yesterday disclosed plans to investigate the concessioning of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal two (MMA2).

 Tips: How to Prepare for Your First International Flight

This, it said was part of measures to resolve the lingering face-off between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Service Limited (BASL).

The committee, at a meeting with aviation workers in Abuja yesterday, also promised to investigate the process that led to the emergence of the Technical Advisers for the concession plan of all 22 federal airports across the country.

The Federal Executive Council had recently approved the concession of four international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, in the phase one of the airport concessioning arrangement.

But the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the National Union of Pensioners (NUP) kicked against the plan, describing it as skewed against the interest of over 6000 workers who would be affected by the exercise.

Sources at yesterday’s meeting with the lawmakers said it was a fruitful session that brought out various aspects, which the unions felt were ignored when the ministry embarked on the concession.

Tips: How to Prepare for Your First International Flight

Story by Louis Ibah

There is nothing that can be as traumatic as arriving at an international airport with all the excitement of travelling out of the country only to be turned back at the airline counter for having not fulfilled some of the critical conditions to board the aircraft.

International flights are indeed different in so many ways from travelling from one local airport in Nigeria to another.

In fact, hardly will you run into Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, or National Drug Law Enforcement Agency officials at local airports, but their presence is a must at international airports and lots of things could go wrong with them to terminate your trip or even land you behind bars. It is therefore very Important that you know the potential  pitfalls and obstacles  you may come across at airline counters or with airport security or regulatory officials. Here are some of the things to consider in your quest to travel abroad for the first time.

Passport and visa

All first time international travellers must note that the possession of an authentic passport and a valid visa counts as the number one priority and that they must get those two subjects correct before they set out for the airport. But it is in these two requirements that some first time travellers do get it wrong and suffer their worse trauma. The only exception though being  those countries where visas are issued at the point of entry or those where Nigerian nationals are visa-exempted, like within the West African sub-region.  That you have paid for a flight ticket does not confer on you any right to board the aircraft as you do on local flights.

Airlines get severely sanctioned whenever a passenger is discovered to have flown on a fake passport or invalid visa, and they have also taken extra steps to prevent such passengers from boarding their flight.  But whether it is out of sheer ignorance, or being naive, countless number of Nigerian first time travellers end up patronising touts or falling into the hands of fraudulent persons in their procurement of passports and visas.

Some are persons who have voluntarily offered themselves to be trafficked out of the country by agents who promise them greener pastures in Europe or America. Sadly, the activities of these fraudsters have serious problems for hundreds of first time travellers. Sights of frustrated  or disillusioned passengers seeking to travel out of the country on fake passports or visas continue to characterise Nigeria’s major international airports, notably the NnamdiAzikiwe International Airport, Abuja; the Mallam Aminu Kano Airport,Kano; the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu; and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

It is therefore important that you avoid the services of touts. Where in doubt, you can approach the airline days ahead of your travel date to verify your passports and visa status. Airlines have the facilities to verify these major travel requirements for you at zero cost.

Buying a ticket

International travels are often more expensive than local flight fares. While some would go directly to the airline and buy their air tickets them, others would prefer hiring the services of a travel agent to do so. But technology has made life a lot easier these days. So, to be sure that you are being charged a good fare either by the airline of your choice of by the travel agent, it is advisable to take some time and search online for other flights that are plying that route.

For instance, rather than fly directly and pay more, you could get 20-30 per cent fare reduction on some airlines that offer connecting flights to your destination and enjoy enjoy the benefit of visiting another country and sight-seeing another airport on one trip.   Aside comparing ticket prices online, researching online also helps you learn a lot about the cultures, rules and regulations of the country that you are visiting. It also helps you to know what the weather condition will be when you get there so that you can pack appropriately.

Check-In

Since you are travelling for the first time and hence not so conversant with some of the Do’s and Don’ts about the airport and airline you are flying, it is important to arrive the airport at least two hours before the scheduled departure time. Try to identify the airline counter once you gain access into the airport. Head there straight and join the queue with your passport and online ticket printout. Be sure to keep an eye on your luggage at all times and do not accept to carry any luggage for anyone even if temporary at the airport. And be extra careful in accepting dying minute parcels from even friends who rush to meet you at the airport terminal on your way out of the country. Open and search thoroughly the contents of such parcels to convince yourself they are not contents that could land you in trouble. If drugs or undeclared weapons are found on you, ignorance would serve no excuse once you are picked up by law enforcement officers. The airline staff at the check-in desk will collect your passport and scan it alongside the visa, and match the names on the tickets in the airline computers and once they are valid will issue you a boarding pass and luggage labels for your bags. You will also be issued an Immigration departure card where you will fill your bio-data, carrier information and addresses etc.  Ensure that your passport is physically always with you – never keep it in a bag that is being checked in.

Banned items

Airlines operate on strict safety and security rules. And for this reason, some substances are banned and prohibited from being carried on board an aircraft. It is important to find out these items days or weeks ahead of your travel.    Some items may be allowed in check-in bags and not allowed on carry-on luggage. For instance, most foodstuffs have to be properly dried before being accepted by airlines. Try to find out online what’s permissible or not on the airline you are travelling. It can sometimes be disheartening to buy at great cost lots of foods, vegetables etc and pack them to the airport only to be disallowed from flying with them and also having no friend or family member at the airport to hand them over to take back home for you.
Physical cash and excess luggage

Individual airlines have limits on the luggage weight or capacity assigned to each passenger. Therefore, make efforts to be acquainted with what constitutes excess luggage on the airline that you are flying. As a first time traveller on an international route with little experience, it is better to travel as light as possible. Where possible avoid to collect gifts meant for others in the country that you are going to. Nothing can be as depressing as paying the un-budgeted cost of an excess  luggage that does not belong to you.

And in as much as you try to carry enough cash with you in order not to be stranded, you should also watch the limits. In so many countries around the world, carrying cash in excess of $10,000 (or its equivalent in naira) without declaring it to Customs can constitute a breach of money laundering law. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of the law for going about with cash that is quite perfectly normal on the street of Nigeria but a crime inside an airport terminal.

Therefore, always count the cash you carry with you to ensure they are within the limits permitted by law or you risk forfeiting them at the country of your destination if caught.

Landing Cards
A landing card is an Immigration form that visitors to a country are required to fill. Moments before the flight touches down at your final destination, the airline cabin crew will move around distributing these cards to passengers who are non-nationals of that country. Travellers are required to present the completed form at the immigration desk at the point of entry. The card has spaces for details like your full names, nationality, occupation, residential addresses etc.  First time passengers must note that the countries that they are visiting take seriously the details provided in this card. As such, be very honest in what you state. And don’t volunteer to fill in the data for persons you do not know on board the aircraft.

Final destination 

When the aircraft lands and you disembark, remember  that you are in another country that offers you limited rights than the country of your birth. It could even be that it’s a country that speaks a different language than English that you are used to. As much as you are fatigued from the long hours and stress of sitting in one spot inside a moving aircraft, it is important that you stay very alert as you queue to get pass through that country’s immigration post.  At this stage you have to take responsibility for just yourself; don’t offer any form  help to persons you do not know. Once you are face to face with the immigration officer   be very courteous in your responses to questions. They have the right to admit, detain, or even deport you, it all depends on how you carry yourself and what you tell them. Don’t give them any reason to deny you entry. When you are done, proceed to carry your check-in luggage and leave the airport. Lastly, except there are persons around to carry you to your designation in the country or city of your visit, try to use a bus or airport-hotel shuttle or trains. Taxis are usually the most expensive mode of transport abroad.

2017 MTV EMA Awards: Davido and Wizkid Contest for Best African Act

MTV Europe Music Awards 2017

Its that time of the year again, when MTV gathers all the best musicians from all over Europe, Africa, US, and the world to acknowledge and reward their efforts and contributions to the music world.

The 2017 MTV European Music Awards, organized by MTV Europe, will be held in Wembley, London this year at the SSE Arena on 12 November 2017. The ceremony will be hosted by Rita Ora. 

The nominees for the awards are listed below with Wizkid and Davido battling for Best African Act. 

BEST AFRICAN ACT
Babes Wodumo – South Africa
C4 Pedro – Angola
DaVido – Nigeria
Nasty C – South Africa
Nyashinski – Kenya
WizKid – Nigeria

BEST SONG
Clean Bandit – Rockabye ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie
DJ Khaled – Wild Thoughts ft. Rihanna, Bryson Tiller
Ed Sheeran – Shape of You
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee – Despacito (Remix) ft. Justin Bieber
Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back

BEST ARTIST
Ariana Grande
Ed Sheeran
Kendrick Lamar
Miley Cyrus
Shawn Mendes
Taylor Swift

BEST LOOK
Dua Lipa
Harry Styles
Rita Ora
Taylor Swift
ZAYN

BEST NEW
Dua Lipa
Julia Michaels
Khalid
KYLE
Rag’n’Bone Man

BEST POP
Camila Cabello
Demi Lovato
Miley Cyrus
Shawn Mendes
Taylor Swift

BEST VIDEO
Foo Fighters – Run
Katy Perry – Bon Appétit ft. Migos
Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE.
KYLE – iSpy ft. Lil Yachty
Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do

BEST LIVE
Bruno Mars
Coldplay
Ed Sheeran
Eminem
U2

BEST ELECTRONIC
Calvin Harris
David Guetta
Major Lazer
Martin Garrix
The Chainsmokers

BEST ROCK
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Royal Blood
The Killers
U2

BEST HIP HOP
Drake
Eminem
Future
Kendrick Lamar
Post Malone

BEST ALTERNATIVE
Imagine Dragons
Lana Del Rey
Lorde
The xx
Thirty Seconds To Mars

BIGGEST FANS
Ariana Grande
Justin Bieber
Katy Perry
Shawn Mendes
Taylor Swift

BEST PUSH
Hailee Steinfeld
Jon Bellion
Julia Michaels
Kacy Hill
Khalid
KYLE
Noah Cyrus
Petite Meller
Rag’n’Bone Man
SZA
The Head And The Heart

BEST WORLD STAGE
Steve Aoki – Live from Isle of MTV Malta 2016
Kings of Leon – Live from Oude Luxor Theatre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 2016
Tomorrowland 2017
DNCE – Live from Isle of MTV Malta 2017
The Chainsmokers – Live from Isle of MTV Malta 2017
Foo Fighters – Live from Barcelona, Spain 2017

Air Peace Airline Enhances Security at Lagos Airport over Threat to Disruption of Operations

Reporters correspondent reporting from the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of Murtala Muhammed Airport), Lagos, observed that the airline engaged police officers from outside the Airport Command to prevent the NLC and other aviation unions from disrupting its services.

Nigerian domestic carrier Air Peace engaged the services of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Aviation Security (AVSEC) to forestall the threat by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to disrupt its flight operations on Thursday.

Reporters correspondent reporting from the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of Murtala Muhammed Airport), Lagos, observed that the airline engaged police officers from outside the Airport Command to prevent the NLC and other aviation unions from disrupting its services.

The police and NSCDC were stationed at different locations at the terminal.

The presence of the police officers and other security agencies appeared to successfully prevent the union members from picketing the airline as threatened earlier in the week.

However, the unions demonstrated outside the terminal and danced to the tunes of Fela Anikulapo Kuti and other songs with their loud speakers.

The unions had accused the airline, along with Med-View, FirstNation and Azman, of preventing its staff who were willing to join the unions from doing so, alleging that many of them were threatened with sack letters.

Some stern looking security agencies were seen at the entrance of the GAT, possibly to prevent the unions from gaining entry into the terminal while others were seen moving around the terminal with their guns.

The General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Olayinka Abioye, speaking at the venue, wondered why the airline engaged the services of security operatives outside the airport command, stressing that the airline had a lot to hide.

He explained that the unions were not out to disrupt the operations of the airline or any other airline in the industry, rather to sensitize the workers of their needs to join any unions of their choice.

He explained that the campaign train would tomorrow move to Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport , Abuja, stressing that the unions would no longer allow casualization of workers in the industry.

The union leader also disclosed that the NLC and the House of Representatives were already making enquiries about organizations that refused to allow its staff to join unions or still engage in casualization of workers, stressing that actions would be taken against such organizations before the end of the year.

He added that the sensitization rally would move to the the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), Lagos, before the end of November, stressing that airlines working at the terminal would also be warned against casualization, which he said was a threat to security.

“I want to believe that Air Peace has some skeletons in its cupboard because there is no reason why extra security should be added to what the Airport Command has. It is inappropriate and unnecessary for an employer of labor in our sector to take the step the airline has taken.

“We have a Commissioner of Police seated in the airport and there are responsible police within the airport. These are police officers who have been dealing with the unions for more than 20 years and we are a very responsible body, even when we want to embark on industrial actions we write officially to the Commissioner’s office who disseminates our letters to all the security outposts for numbering, and as you can see the police from the airport are here.

“The NLC and the House of Representatives have written to us asking us to give them names of companies within the aviation sector and airlines where there is casualization of workers or those organizations that prevent their workers from joining the unions.

“We have complied with that directive. We have supplied names and I tell you before the end of November, a lot of things will happen here,” he said.

TStv Africa Gets Tax free from FG

The Federal Government has granted a 3-year tax relief to the newly inaugurated Pay TV operator in the country, TStv Africa, as well as tax free dividends to all investors in the company.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced this on Sunday night in Abuja at a dinner to mark the official unveiling of the new company.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports TStv Africa is a wholly owned Nigerian Pay TV operator with refined offerings of novel Unclassified Pay Per View subscription and complimentary internet services.

Mohammed, who performed the official unveiling of the new company and its products, said the tax reliefs were in line with the Pioneer Status recently granted to the Creative Industry by the federal government.

The minister congratulated the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Dr Bright Echefu, and his team for liberalising and breaking the monopoly of Pay TV in the country.

“The important thing about what Echefu has done today is that he has redefined the pay per view television industry and from today that industry will never remain the same again.

“What he has done is to democratise the media and entertainment industry and make it possible for even a peasant farmer to have access to the best entertainment and news in the world.

“It is a great opportunity for me to be the one to unveil TStv because just like a Nigerian made history by crashing the cost of telephony in Nigeria, I am glad that another Nigerian is now coming forward to crash the cost of Pay TV,” he said.

The minister commended the courage of the investor for coming from the Diaspora to invest in his country and for believing in the government’s seriousness about diversifying the economy.

He said the company had also demonstrated that government alone could not do all things but needed the participation and synergy of the private sector.

“I want to assure that this administration will continue to assist you and other investors in creating the enabling environment for businesses to grow,” he said.

The minister said that the government was aware of the huge contributions of the creative industry to the nation’s economy and would continue to support the sector.

However, he identified contents and the lack of objective audience measurement as major challenges that had retarded the growth of TV and advertising industries in the country.

“With the liberalisation of the industry, content has become very key because content determines which channels are being watched and which are not.

“Another major challenge is how to get an accurate measurement of which channel is being watched and which is not.

“Kenya and South Africa are about one third of our population but they do much better in TV and radio advertisement than us because of their robust audience measurement,” he said.

The minister announced that the National Broadcasting Commission and his ministry would organise a workshop on Nov. 28 to address the challenge of audience measurement.

Earlier, Echefu said that TStv Africa, which had gone through a lot of challenges, was birth to liberalise PayTV in the country, make it affordable to every Nigerian with added values.

He said for the first time, Nigerians could now enjoy Pay Per View because with TStv, “subscription runs as you watch and it has the facility to pause your subscription when you travel”.

Echefu said that TStv for a start has 70 premium channels model with the cheapest pay-TV in Africa with maximum subscription fee of N3,000 only.

He said as a fully Nigerian brand with consideration for the masses, TStv is not classified and it has a model that accommodate subscription as low as N200 as N500 for a period of time.

The CEO said TStv came with PVR (Personal Video Recorder) Decoder which allowed viewers greater control over their viewing experience with functions like pause, rewind, forward, save and record of programmes of interest.

Echefu said that once you subscribe to TStv, you will also get complimentary internet service, enabled Wi-Fi, as well as video calls and video conferencing services.

“It has an array of amazing TV channels with premium entertainment, educative programmes that cut across all genres.

“The genres included news, music, general entertainment, documentary, movies, religious, sports, health, kids, fashion and lifestyle that better define the uniqueness of Nigeria’s diverse culture and traditional values,” he said.

The CEO said TStv which was modelled for Nigerians had come to stay, assuring that it would not fail and they would deliver on their promises.

NAN reports that the guests at the ceremony were entertained with live performances by musicians and comedians.

Among the dignitaries at the event were Gov. Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr Fola Adeyemi, and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, MS Grace Gekpe.

Others were the Director-General of National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode;  Nollywood actors including Afeez Oyetoro aka Saka, Zack Amata, Adigwe Okafor, Dr Opa Williams and Emeka Ike.