Other News
Ex-BBC chief Mark Thompson apologises for failed £100 million IT project
LONDON – U.S. media executive Mark Thompson apologised on Monday to the British public and MPs for the failure of a £100 million digital project during his years of running the BBC.
Thompson, who left the publicly funded broadcaster in 2012 to become chief executive at the New York Times Company, said the Digital Media Initiative (DMI) had failed and that meant “the loss of a lot of public money”.
The project, that was meant to allow BBC staff to create, share and store content in a new digital system, was suspended in 2012 and axed last May with a loss of 98.4 million pounds.
The botched DMI project is one of a series of controversies at the BBC that has prompted MPs to grill former and current bosses. Other issues include large severance payments to executives, the handling of a child sex scandal involving former TV host Jimmy Savile, and workplace bullying.
Thompson, who was BBC director general for eight years, said
the DMI failed in many ways, which undermined confidence in the project but he stressed other major technology ventures at the BBC, such as the BBC iPlayer and coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, were successes.
“I want to apologise to you and to the public for the failure of this project,” Thompson told parliament’s Public Accounts Committee as he was quizzed over the project.
He denied misleading parliament in 2011 when he said the project was on track and “out in the business”, receiving very positive feedback from users, saying that is what he had believed.
But he said the quality and timing of information about the project passed to management was “not everything it should have been” and the reaction as red flags were raised was too slow.
“There was an intense amount of activity … but it should have been done more urgently that it was,” he said.
The running of the BBC comes under public scrutiny because the corporation’s funding comes mainly from a 145.50-pound a year licence fee paid by every British household with a television, that raises about 3.7 billion pounds for the BBC.
Political oversight of the BBC, with its annual budget of about 5 billion pounds, has escalated recently, with management called before 18 parliamentary hearings in the past year.
Thompson was called before the Public Accounts Committee last September to testify about severance payments for 150 departing executives described by the committee as excessive.
Britain’s public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), last week criticised the BBC Executive Board then headed by Thompson for not having “sufficient grip” on the IT project over an 18-month period or assessing the system to see if it was “technically sound”.
Margaret Hodge, chairwoman of the committee, described the project as a “disaster” with a lack of governance and no one single person overseeing the DMI.
The BBC has admitted it “got this one wrong”.
The BBC’s former chief technician, John Linwood, who was sacked last year after the DMI was scrapped, told the committee there was a “lack of engagement” in the project and that it was behind schedule.
– REUTERS
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have disclosed details of their recent closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu, explaining that the engagement focused on strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The clarification came amid speculation surrounding the meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after leaders of several opposition parties attended an Iftar dinner hosted by the president earlier in the week.
ALSO READ: NNPC Secures Tinubu’s Approval for $20bn FID on Bonga Deepwater Project
Speaking during a gathering hosted in Abuja by the SDP’s former presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo on Friday, the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the meeting with Tinubu followed an official invitation from the Presidency and lasted about an hour.
According to Gombe, the discussion centred on the need to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral laws and restore public confidence in the country’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 polls.
He explained that the meeting provided an opportunity for party leaders to remind the president of the importance of conducting transparent, free, and credible elections.
Gombe noted that democracy can only thrive when governments listen to the concerns of citizens and ensure electoral processes that guarantee fairness and accountability.
The SDP chairman also expressed concern over growing voter apathy, pointing to the low turnout recorded in the recent Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the Abuja Municipal Area Council election witnessed only about seven per cent voter turnout, which he described as a clear sign that many Nigerians are losing confidence in the electoral system.
Gombe urged the government and members of the National Assembly to take urgent steps to review electoral laws and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of IPAC, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, said political parties used the meeting to raise concerns about aspects of proposed electoral reforms, particularly issues related to indirect primaries and the mandatory electronic transmission of results.
Dantalle explained that the parties appealed to the president to use his influence to encourage legislative review where necessary, noting that reforms should strengthen, rather than complicate, the democratic process.
He expressed optimism that Tinubu would consider the concerns raised and support necessary amendments that would improve the electoral system.
The IPAC chairman also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strictly adhere to electoral guidelines as preparations for the next election cycle begin.
Earlier in his remarks, Adebayo cautioned political actors against turning the 2027 general elections into a do-or-die contest, stressing that the primary goal of democracy should be the progress and stability of Nigeria rather than personal political victories.
He urged leaders across political parties to encourage citizens to actively participate in the democratic process and ensure that elections are conducted peacefully and transparently.
President Bola Tinubu and Mr. Taiwo Oyedele during his nomination on Wednesday.
Airfares Likely to Rise as Aviation Fuel Price Spikes by 80%
Shell Completes Turnaround Maintenance on FPSO, Resumes Production at Bonga
Sahara Group expands fleet with new 40,000 cbm LPG Carrier
NATO Shoots Down Third Iranian Missile in Turkey
Inside Tinubu’s Closed-Door Meeting With Opposition Leaders – SDP, IPAC Reveal Details
Defections Won’t Break PDP in Sokoto, Says Former Senator Gada
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Things To Know About Threads, Zuckerberg’s Twitter-like App
557963 99972Hi there. Extremely cool site!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Fantastic .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds additionallyI am glad to locate so much helpful info right here within the post. Thanks for sharing 40975