Statement by the Director General, National Broadcasting Commission on the Occasion of the Announcement of the Bid Process for One Radio and One Television Network Licence for Nigeria, Held in the Board Room of the National Broadcasting Commission, on Thursday, September 03, 2009 at 11:00 am.
Good Morning, Good People of a Great Nation!
I think it is the 16th Century English Poet, Samuel Johnson, who declared that:
“Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another; forming new wishes and seeing them gratified.”
The National Broadcasting Commission is here today to announce a new wish; an initiative that will take the Nigerian Broadcast Sector to a new height, and our plans to see this new wish gratified.
After 77 years of radio broadcasting, 50 years of Television broadcasting and 17 years of broadcast deregulation in Nigeria, only the Federal Government owns the only licensed radio and television networks; namely the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigerian, FRCN and the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA.
Given Nigeria’s enormous size, her wide diversity and remarkable plurality, as well as its economic prospects, the National Broadcasting Commission has determined that it is feasible, desirable and indeed imperative to increase the number of Broadcast Networks in the country.
The Commission has therefore sought and received the gracious approval of His Excellency, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to commence the licensing process for commercially operated and privately owned Radio and Television Network Services, to operate alongside the existing Federal Government owned Radio and Television Networks.
This move is within the framework of the Federal Government’s economic reform programme aimed at modernizing the Nigerian economy and expanding the role of the private sector in driving sustained economic development.
In view of the foregoing, and yet mindful that the economy of the Nation can support only a limited number of Broadcast Networks at the moment, the Commission wishes to announce the start of the process of licensing one Radio and one Television network service for Nigeria through a bid process.
The Commission has taken all necessary steps to ensure that the process is completely transparent, and will be conducted according to the following time-table:
|
Specific Date
|
Milestone
|
|
September 03, 2009
|
Issuance of Public Notice
|
|
September 07, 2009
|
Bid documents available for purchase from NBC Headquarters
|
|
October 12, 2009
|
Deadline for submission of questions and requests for clarification by Bidders
(This provides 5 weeks for Bidders to begin to prepare their bids and to raise issues pertaining to the bid for clarification)
|
|
October 19, 2009
|
Delivery of responses by NBC to questions and requests for clarification (NBC has 1 week to prepare responses to issues raised)
|
|
November 06, 2009
|
Closing Date for submission of Bids (This gives Bidders 3 weeks after receiving NBC responses to finalise and submit their offers)
Opening of Bids. (Eligibility and Technical Proposals to be opened on the closing date for the submission of the bids)
|
|
November 09 – November 20, 2009
|
Evaluation of Technical bids. NBC has 2 weeks to evaluate offers. It may extend this date if required without consultation with the bidders
|
|
November 24, 2009
|
Opening of Financial Proposals. The actual date will depend on the completion of the technical evaluation
|
|
November 25 – December 04, 2009
|
Negotiation with preferred bidder(s)
|
|
December 14, 2009
|
Announcement of selection of Successful Bidders
|
|
|
Signing of Licence by Mr. President
|
|
|
Payment of Licence & other Fees
|
|
|
Completion of selection process
Return of Bid Bonds to unsuccessful bidders
|
The Commission, therefore, wishes to invite prospective bidders for either a radio or television network licence to purchase the bid documents for each bid from the office of the Secretary to the Commission, here at our headquarters.
The bid package contains guidelines, which define the applicable rules and procedures for this competitive bidding. Let me repeat that strict rules of transparency shall apply throughout the process to its logical conclusion.
I wish to use this opportunity to appeal to interested bidders, stakeholders and the mass media to cooperate with the Commission to midwife the successful licensing of privately owned and commercially operated radio and television networks to stimulate and enrich further the bubbling Nigerian broadcast landscape.
I thank you for your attention.
