Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy, has revealed intentions to allocate around $2 billion for the installation of fiber optics cables across Nigeria.
During a recent appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today show, he highlighted the existence of the Fifth-Generation (5G) network in the country but emphasized the need for extensive infrastructure to support its widespread implementation.
Tijani acknowledged the current limitations of the advanced technology, revealing that although 5G exists in some areas, the necessary infrastructure is not universally available. To achieve nationwide coverage and provide a seamless 5G experience, he estimated that the ambitious project would require an investment of about $2 billion.
“We do in some places,” Tijani responded when questioned about the presence of 5G in Nigeria.
“The infrastructure that drives 5G is not something that is across the nation.
“So, if you are subscribe to 5G and you move into locations where the infrastructure cannot support it, of course, the quality will drop. 5G exists in Nigeria and there are telcos with the licence,” the minister said.
He further explained that the government is actively working to increase the kilometers of fiber optics cables, expressing optimism about achieving this goal within the first four years of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
“We are about 35 to 40 kilometres right now and the goal is to go to 95,000 km,” he said. “It’s going to cost us roughly about $1.5bn to $2bn to wire the entire of Nigeria.”
The minister outlined the government’s broader vision, emphasizing the intention to connect critical institutions such as schools, hospitals, government offices, and other vital locations with fiber cables. Tijani believes that this initiative will result in significant improvements in the delivery of public services.
To address the challenges of drop calls and poor telecommunication networks, Tijani attributed these issues to vandalism and announced his plans to declare telecoms infrastructure as critical national assets.
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This move aims to safeguard the integrity of the network by deterring acts of vandalism that disrupt communication services.
The minister emphasized that an investment of approximately $2 billion is required to ensure optimal performance in laying fiber optics cables across Nigeria.
He said,
“There are times that you experience bad connection that it is simply that an infrastructure has been destroyed somewhere.
“So, one of the memos I have been working on as a minister is actually to declare telecommunication infrastructure as critical national infrastructure because there are times people go vandalise a base station, steal some of the things there, go resell.
“Every time that is done, it gets in the way of quality of connections that people get. There are times people dig the ground and they end up breaking fibre optics cables – those fibre optics cables also contribute to the quality of services that you and me get.”