Nwafor, SLTV MD, Bags ‘Salute to Courage Award’
Dr Ifeanyi Nwafor, Managing Director of Metrodigital Limited, owners of Silver Lake Television (SLTV), indigenous Nigerian satellite pay television, has received ‘Salute to Courage Award’(SACA) for his resilience and patriotic stance in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy good but affordable pay TV service.
Nwafor was honored with the award at the SLTV Post Launch Reception organised by Camroll Quest Limited in collaboration with friends and associates of the SLTV boss during the weekend in Abuja.
Recall that the Federal Government, in a bid to offer Nigerians alternatives and enhance competition in the satellite pay television sector, had in March this year unveiled SLTV, an indigenous satellite pay television.
The launch event, held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, saw the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, stating that “SLTV would provide Nigerians with real value for their money.”
He commended Metrodigital Limited, the operators of SLTV, for their patriotic initiative and expressed the Federal Government’s full support for the venture.
Just two months after the launch, SLTV was already gaining popularity and acceptance among teeming Nigerian subscribers to pay TV service because of its relatively low packages, which made the company and its relevant stakeholders to organise a post launch interactive session.
Presenting, the award to the SLTV boss at the event, Hon. Princess Nikky Onyeri, Chief Operating Officer of Camroll Quest Ltd, said “the honour was in celebration of his doggedness towards ensuring that Nigeria has indigenous pay television.”
According to her, “Metrodigital Limited took bold and patriotic steps in conceiving SLTV for Nigerians to have alternative to monopolistic satellite pay TV service providers.”
“When nobody gave Nigeria 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 at the end.”
She added that ,“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.”
Also speaking, Chairman of the occasion, Abubakar Jijiwa, former Chairman of Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), said SLTV was a better alternative that had emerged to respond to yearning of Nigerians by giving them value for their money.
He therefore urged Nigerians to “spread the message that there is now a Nigerian company that is providing pay TV services at a cheaper price than others.”
“SLTV has come to stay, but we must support it as our own, because our own will drive direct foreign investment and create jobs, and it is time for us as Nigerians to put our hands together to make our own work.”
In his remark, Nwafor expressed appreciation for the recognition given to him and the SLTV team, adding that “I am very happy and humbled by this honour, and we promise not to disappoint Nigerians as we urge them to patrionise their own.”
He explained that SLTV had over 50 HD channels with with several sport channels that show live football matches from the Premier League, Champions League, Laliga, Seria A, and UEL among others, with a monthly subscription ranging from N2,500 and N5,000.
Top government functionaries, heads of both private and public organisations, seasoned entrepreneurs in the telecommunication sector were present at the event, with goodwill messages from the Nigeria Police authorities, among others.
