Reno Omokri kicks against move to make NTA compete with CNN

Reno Omokri has criticized the $500 million loan applied for by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, which is aimed at establishing the Nigerian Network Authority, NTA, to the level of the Cable News Network, CNN.

This comes after Lai Mohammed defended the amount which is to be borrowed from the President's $29.96b loan for funding critical infrastructure in the country.

According to the Minister, “If this project is approved, there will be more visibility for our people in the music, fashion and film industries.

“In 2014, we made $23m from music alone and about $53m in 2019 and we are looking forward to making $83m in 2025. You can imagine the kind of growth we will have if only we digitise all the NTA stations in the country.”

He went on to reveal that the $500 million to be borrowed will help employment because “Apart from agriculture, which is the largest employer of labour in Nigeria, especially the youths, the next largest employer of labour is the creative industry,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Reno Omokri described it as a misplaced priority.

He wrote on social media: "Nigeria has 13.5 million children out of school in Northern Nigeria. Kano alone has 2 million of that number. Borno has 500,000. Yet, Nigeria is not borrowing to build schools. Nigeria’s priority is TV station digitisation. Meanwhile, the biggest recruiter in Northern Nigeria is not any state government or Dangote Group of Companies. The biggest recruiters are bandits, herdsmen and Boko Haram. God help Nigeria, because she can’t help herself!"