The Federal Government has said the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting will create one million jobs in Nigeria in the next three years.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this at the launch of Digital Switchover in Lagos on Thursday.

The event marked the beginning of the second phase of the DSO rollout which began in Jos, Plateau State, on 30 April 2016.

The DSO rollout is intended to cover an additional 13 states in 2021, according to the minister. These states will be joining FCT, Kwara, Kaduna, Enugu, and Osun.

“This may look like a daunting task. Indeed, it is. But the fact that we are here in Lagos today is a testimony to our resilience and determination to ensure the success of the transition from analogue to digital television across the country,” the minister said in his speech.

The DSO rollout in Lagos is unique as it is the first time, the DSO project would be beaming 60 choice channels to television households, according to the minister.

Mohammed said, “Also, the DSO provides us with a great platform to key into the Lagos Smart City Project, which seeks to use technology to enhance service delivery in all spheres of life.

“The DSO is not just about high-fidelity sound and picture, it is about creating jobs, especially for our teeming youth, stimulating local content, and empowering channel owners.

“In addition, a large number of the one million jobs to be created by the DSO project in the next three years will come from Lagos.”

According to the minister, there are over one million Set-Top-Boxes ready to be distributed across the state.

The boxes are locally manufactured, hence more boxes will be produced and released with time, he said.