The Kano State Government will purchase 100,000 units of free television Set-Top-Boxes (STBs) for indigent and poor households in the state at subsidised rate, Gov Abdullahi Ganduje, has said.

Ganduje made the disclosure at the official launch of Digital Switch Over (DSO) for Kano State, on Tuesday, in Kano.

“We will partner with one of the lisenced manufacturers of Set-Top-Boxes in Nigeria for the supply of the STB to all the 44 local government areas of the state.

“Beginning with 10,000 units, accordingly, 700 units will be supplied to 114 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), 70 to the 15 tertiary institutions, 1,460 to Senior Secondary Schools and offices of political office holders,” he said.

The governor further said that he had directed for the supply of 44,000 STBs to 44 local government areas in the state.

According to him, 100 STBs would be given to each local government area.

“Beneficiaries will be primary healthcare centres, Local Education Authoritues, primary schools, as well as community viewing centres and Local Government Councils,” he said.

The governor said the state government had already trained 100 technicians who would be moving from one place to another to fix the facilities.

In his remarks, the Director General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Balarabe Shehu-IIelah, said Kano State had an estimated 2,147,005 households and 1.6 million Television Viewing Homes.

Shehu-Ilelah said the figure was expected to go up by the end of 2021.

He said, “baseline study conducted by the NBC in 2017, indicated that Kano has about 12,882,030 projected population.

”That is why the roll out in Kano is crucial to the success of the DSO project in Nigeria,” he said.

He commended Kano state government for the training of 100 artisans from the 44 LGA on free TV dealership, installation and activation.

He further said Lagos, Kano and Port Harcort were left for the second phase of switch-on because they were populous and commercial centres in the country.

In his remarks, the Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasiru Ado-Bayero, commended the Federal Government for the project.

He said the project would assist in showcasing the tradition and culture of people in the state to the world.