Mr Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, has stressed the importance of reliable telecommunications and data services to Nigeria’s economic growth, productivity and social development.
Dare made the remarks on Thursday in Abuja at the National Civil Society Dialogue on Telecommunication and Data Service Provision in Nigeria.
The dialogue, themed “Upscaling Telecommunication and Data Services for Enhanced Microeconomic and GDP Growth,” brought stakeholders together to discuss ways of improving the country’s digital connectivity.
Dare said telecommunications had moved beyond being a basic support service to becoming essential national infrastructure, as farmers, businesses, students, hospitals and government institutions increasingly rely on digital connectivity.
He noted that expanding broadband access would create greater opportunities for economic participation, innovation, productivity and job creation. However, he stressed that the growing number of subscribers must be matched with significant improvements in the quality of service.
The former Executive Commissioner of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also advocated greater infrastructure sharing among telecommunications operators and stronger measures to protect telecom facilities from vandalism and theft.
According to him, the expansion of 5G technology could open up new possibilities in areas such as smart agriculture, industrial automation, telemedicine, smart cities and advanced logistics.
Dare called for stronger collaboration among the government, regulators, telecom operators, development partners and civil society groups to make affordable and reliable connectivity available, particularly in underserved communities.
Also speaking, the Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, Mr Odoyemi Ogohi, said the commission welcomed public scrutiny and constructive discussions on the state of telecommunications services in the country.
Ogohi said the NCC was committed to using data and evidence to monitor network performance and respond to complaints from consumers.
He disclosed that Nigeria had 192 million active telecommunications users as of June, while broadband penetration had reached 56.7 per cent.
According to him, Nigerians consumed 8.51 million terabytes of data between January and June, with monthly usage continuing to rise.
Ogohi acknowledged that there was still a noticeable difference in network quality between rural and urban areas. He said the commission had therefore begun placing greater emphasis on assessing service quality at the local level.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the National Civil Society Council of Nigeria, Amb. Blessing Akinsolotu, said civil society organisations had continued to raise concerns over poor telecom services, arbitrary deductions and other issues affecting consumers.
Akinsolotu expressed optimism that the resolutions reached at the dialogue would be forwarded to relevant stakeholders for consideration and necessary action.
