Managing Director of Metrodigital Limited, owners of Silver Lake Television, indigenous Nigerian satellite pay television, Dr Ifeanyi  Nwafor, has been honoured with ‘salute to courage award.’

Mr Nwafor received the award at the SLTV post launch reception organised by Camroll Quest Limited and associates of SLTV on Saturday in Abuja.

The Chief Operating Officer of Camroll Quest Ltd, Nikky Onyeri, who presented the award to the SLTV boss, said the honour was in celebration of his doggedness towards ensuring that Nigeria has indigenous pay television.

According to her, Metrodigital Limited, under Mr Nwafor’s watch, took bold and patriotic steps in conceiving SLTV for Nigerians to have alternative to monopolistic satellite pay TV service providers.

He said, “When nobody gave Nigerians a chance, Ifeanyi Nwafor and Metrodigital remained focused and resilient for us to have our own satellite pay television, and so today, we are recognising tenacity, we are recognising resilience and doggedness. This celebration and award came from many years of being in the battlefield as the opposition party tried everything possible to put Metrodigital away.

“I believe this is also the only award that is recognised by the government of Nigeria in the sense that the National Copyright Council has certified this award. For 13 years they were taken to court in Nigeria and they still took them to European courts for three years, all as part of plots to stop this patriotic vision, but Metrodigital won in the end. The fact that we are in the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu  has also given us another hope because  this is happening under his government.”

In his remark, Mr Nwafor expressed appreciation for the honour accorded him and the SLTV team, adding that the team was poised to do more towards ensuring that the pay television network gives value to Nigerians.

He lamented that the growth of pay TV in Nigeria over the years had been hampered by policies and legal frameworks that encouraged monopoly.

“I am happy and humbled by this honour and we promise not to disappoint Nigerians as we urge them to patronise their own. We are considerate with our prices because we are Nigerians and we are not going to take Nigerians for granted,” he said.

He explained that SLTV has over 50 HD channels with 10 sports channels that show live football matches from major football leagues in Europe, with a monthly subscription ranging from N2, 500 and N5,000.

Earlier in his speech, Chairman of the occasion, Abubakar Jijiwa, said SLTV was a veritable alternative that has emerged to respond to yearning of Nigerians by giving them value for their money.

According to a former Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, Mr Jijiwa, said the new satellite pay television will also create jobs for Nigerian youths from its entire value chain.

“SLTV has come to stay, but we must support it as our own, because our own will drive direct foreign investment and create jobs. Let us spread the message that there is now a Nigerian company that is providing pay TV services at a cheaper price than others,” he said.

Top government functionaries, heads of both private and public organisations, seasoned entrepreneurs and consumers of pay TV services were among stakeholders present at the event.

Also there were goodwill messages from the Nigerian police and other stakeholders.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, had in March unveiled the indigenous Nigerian satellite television, SLTV, at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

He said its establishment aligned with the hopes of Nigerians to “reap from the bountiful harvest awaiting investors in the Nigerian economy.”

Mr Akume, represented by his Senior Special Assistant (Technical), Prof. Babatunde Bernard, said the operators of SLTV, Metrodigital Limited, took a patriotic step in setting up the satellite television.

(NAN)