05/08/2026
It might interest you to know that , Africa Independent Television (ait) isn't the first private broadcaster in Nigeria.
For years, many assumed that because Chief Raymond Dokpesi of blessed memory founded the first private radio station in Nigeria, he must have also pioneered the first private television.
That assumption however isnโt accurate.
In fact, AIT was the third private television station in Nigeria. What made it remarkable was not being first, but being the first to achieve true national spread.
The true pioneer was Degue Broadcasting Network : DBN Television.
Incorporated in 1986 by Edo State-born Mr. Osa Sonny Adun, DBN began life not as a TV station, but as a sports marketing outfit on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Their business was simple and bold: acquire broadcast rights to major international sporting events and partner with NTA to air them.
From the FIFA World Cup to the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, DBN brought the worldโs biggest moments into Nigerian homes.
Their defining moment came in 1996 during the Atlanta Olympics, the year the Super Eagles won Olympic gold and Chioma Ajunwa became the first Nigerian athlete to win an individual Olympic gold medal. DBN held the broadcast rights. The nation watched history through their lens.
A year before the federal government officially deregulated broadcasting in 1996, DBN made its leap.
In 1994, it launched full television transmission on UHF Channel 35, later moving its studios to the 21st floor of Eko Court, Victoria Island.
DBN wasnโt just sports. It rolled out a slate of recorded and live programs. But the one that captured Lagos nights was "Night Shift" a show many still remember, though the exact airtime now blurs with memory.
DBN became a training ground for talent. Several presenters who cut their teeth there would go on to become household names after being recruited by AIT.
Names like Segun Adebowale, Israel Edjeren, Ebere Acharike-Young, Don Pedro Obaseki, Namure Edomoiya, and Ms. Abdulaziz now with NTA Network, all have DBN in their story.
But the media landscape shifted fast.
With the arrival of AIT and its national reach, DBN like a small boat in a storm could not withstand the wave. It eventually went off air.
The second private station to try was Clapperboard TV, also on UHF. It too had a brief run.
Today, history must record it correctly: Mr. Osa Sonny Adun is the man who truly pioneered private television broadcasting in Nigeria.
Take your flowers, sir.
