Nigerian state radio to commences V-sat transmission 1 October

Text of report by Radio Nigeria from Lagos on 29 July

[Presenter] The 94-million naira satellite project of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria [FRCN] is to be completed within two months.

The director-general of the corporation, Dr Eddy Iroh, told newsmen in Jos that the V-sat project would deliver clear signals of the station to all parts of the country from the 1 st October.

[Iroh] The satellite transmission would deliver our programmes, clean, clear, and with very high quality to every home in Nigeria.

I expect that by the end of September, and latest by the first of October, we should be saying good-bye to these problems of reception.

[Presenter] Dr Iroh disclosed that 16 of the projected 32 new FM stations established across the country had gone into operation while a total of 31 stations would have commenced full transmission by the end of the first quarter of next year.

He said Radio Nigeria was investing heavily on manpower training at home and abroad to match the pace of digitalization process going on in the corporation.

Dr Iroh spoke of plans to establish a two broadcast academy by the federal government using the NTA College, Jos, and the Radio Nigeria Training School, Lagos.

[Iroh] I believe that in the long term that it would come. It would be much easier after the two institutions became a broadcast academy to become a degree awarding institution.

It would be useful not only for Nigeria, but to the only West African sub region.

[Presenter] Dr Eddy Iroh promised that payment of outstanding pension arrears to FRCN pensioners would commence next week.

(Source: Radio Nigeria-Lagos Channel 1 in English 0600 gmt 29 Jul 05 via BBC Monitoring)