NTA Takes Delivery Of World Cup Equipment, Today

Mr Ayodeji Osibogun, the Chairman of Will Trade Services (WTS) company, has assured Nigerians that some upgraded NTA digital broadcast equipment, meant for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Nigeria 2009, are being expected to be delivered.

Worried by the continuous delay of the equipment, both the House and Senate Committees on Information at various fora, summoned all stakeholders including NTA and Bureau of Public Procurement.

The committees also summoned the Ministry of Information and Communications WTS company and Debt Management Office to resolve the issue.

The stakeholders, with an assurance from Osibogun, however, agreed that the equipment would now be fully delivered in Nigeria and received by NTA on or before December 10.

Osibogun said during a facility tour of some of the equipment already delivered at the NTA broadcast studio at the National Stadium Abuja, on Monday, attributed the delay to bureaucratic set up.

He recalled that the contract, which was awarded on July 17, 2009, for the upgrading and renovation of broadcast equipment for Nigeria 2009, at N8.9 billion, could not be delivered on schedule as government was not forthcoming with its 15 per cent of the contract sum.

Osibogun, a broadcaster, said the payment of remaining 85 per cent of the contract sum by the Federal Government and absence of a letter of credit as well as bank guarantee, made the contract to suffer some set back.

He said it was not until March 29, after fulfilling all the conditions stipulated by the financial institutions, that the company commenced the process of delivery as stipulated in the terms of the contract.

Osibogun, who is the sole distributor of SONY products in Africa, showed newsmen all the equipment already delivered and upgraded to world class standard, being installed in NTA studio at the stadium.

“In consideration of the 15 per cent part funding provided by NTA, WTS upgraded and refurbished part of the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD),’’ he said.