Back

Nigerian TV station AIT dismisses shutdown claims, continues broadcasting amid rightsizing

IN SHORT: On 24 October 2025, Africa Independent Television denied reports of a shutdown, calling them "fake news". Its parent company, Daar Communications, explained that the organisation was only "rightsizing" and that employees’ jobs remained secure.

“AIT Shuts Down Lagos Office Over unpaid salaries. The Lagos office of Africa Independent Television (AIT) has been shut down following persistent financial and operational challenges faced by its parent company, Daar Communications Plc. Meanwhile! The sister stations RayPower FM and Faaji FM are still on air and continuing normal operations,” reads a post circulating widely on Facebook.

Daar Communications Plc is a Nigeria-based media and entertainment company that owns radio and television stations, including Africa Independent Television (AIT), RayPower 100.5FM and FAAJI FM. 

The alleged closure comes at a time when Daar Communications has been grappling with financial and operational difficulties.

In mid-2024, the company announced that it had incurred a loss of N1.6 billion (about US$1.1 million) by the end of 2023. Also in 2024, its chairperson, Raymond Dokpesi Jr, told the media that the company was undergoing a restructuring process.

Similar posts can be found here and here(Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)

However, has AIT actually ceased its operations in Lagos state, southwest Nigeria? We checked.

Nothing but the facts

Get a weekly dose of facts delivered straight to your inbox.

AITNews_False

AIT still operating

On 24 October 2025, Daar Communications dismissed the rumours of a shutdown as “very untrue”.

Collins Uwaeze, the marketing executive at Daar Communications, told the media that the company was adjusting its workforce structure to improve workflow and overall efficiency.

“The report of AIT Lagos closure is very untrue. What we have is a realignment aimed at making the company more efficient. We are rightsizing to ensure optimal operations, but the jobs of our staff are still intact,” he said.

AIT has also confirmed to Africa Check that the station is still operating in Lagos state.

This claim also appears hereherehereherehereherehere and here.

For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false

A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?

Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.

Publishers guide

Africa Check teams up with Facebook

Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.

The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.

You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.

Add new comment

Restricted HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
limit: 600 characters

Want to keep reading our fact-checks?

We will never charge you for verified, reliable information. Help us keep it that way by supporting our work.

Become a newsletter subscriber

Support independent fact-checking in Africa.