By Martin Ekpeke
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has declared that the era of poor network quality in Nigeria must come to an end.
In a comprehensive statement issued on Tuesday, the Minister asserted that the Federal Government has successfully addressed the structural and economic bottlenecks that previously hindered the industry, placing the responsibility for immediate service improvement squarely on the shoulders of telecommunications providers.
Dr. Tijani revealed that recent government reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies, the floating of the naira, and the controversial but necessary allowance for tariff adjustments, have stabilized the sector.
These moves, alongside the designation of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, have paved the way for major operators like MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile to return to a market-driven state of profitability.
“Operators now have both the capacity and the resources to fix outstanding issues within their networks,” Tijani stated, adding that the conditions required for improved service delivery have now been established in the country
While demanding immediate fixes, the Minister also outlined a long-term roadmap to transform Nigeria’s digital landscape through Project BRIDGE. Backed by World Bank funding, this Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) aims to deliver a nationwide open-access fibre infrastructure.
Key infrastructure milestones announced in the statement by the Minister include:
- Fibre Deployment: Commencing before the end of 2024.
- NUCAP Tower Rollouts: New towers to be erected in underserved areas.
- Satellite Expansion: Boosting connectivity in remote regions.
- Direct Access: Transitioning small businesses from “unstable dongles” to high-speed home/shop fibre connections within the next two to five years.
To ensure these reforms translate into better experiences for Nigerians, Dr. Tijani confirmed that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been fully empowered to enforce service standards without political interference.
The Minister warned that the ministry will be closely monitoring call quality and data performance through both official NCC reports and public feedback on social media.
“Where operators deliver, it will be recognized. Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take appropriate regulatory action. Nigerians should get the value they paid for,” he said.