Telecom
Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide: ITU and UK-FCDO Fuel Rural Connectivity Revolution
Mr. Yomi Arowosafe, Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has commended the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UK FCDO), for their collaboration with Nigerian government to deepen rural connectivity for socio-economic development of the country.
L-R: Nigeria National Consultant, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Ogundipe Olubunmi; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMoCIDE), Faruk Yabo; Hon. Minister, FMoCIDE, Dr. Bosun Tijani; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida; Secretary, Universal Service Provision Fund, Yomi Arowosafe and West Africa Area Representative, ITU, Ali Badiel, during the Industry-focused Stakeholders Engagement Session organised by the USPF of the Commission in collaboration with ITU and United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UK FCDO), in Lagos on Thursday (March 13, 2025).
Arowosafe gave the commendation at an Industry-Focused Stakeholders Engagement Session which was organised in Lagos over the weekend by the USPF in in collaboration with the UK FCDO and the ITU. The session built on USPF’s ongoing efforts to facilitate the achievement of wide network connectivity coverage in unserved and underserved communities across Nigeria.
The event was attended by the Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Faruk Yabo; the Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida; Chief Executives of telecommunications companies, State ICT commissioners, notable industry players, trade associations, development partners, key speakers, distinguished guests and staff of both NCC and the USPF.
The Minister spoke on the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to provide enabling policy directions and initiatives towards ensuring greater connectivity in Nigeria to transform the socio-economic development of Nigeria while the NCC boss, Maida emphasized the Commission’s resolve to continue to back all USPF projects through effective regulatory measures that help in accelerating deployment of necessary digital infrastructure that support the achievement of the Federal Governments’ priority areas and ministerial blueprint.
Speaking at the event, the Arowosafe said the engagement reflected the USPF’s shared vision and commitment to expanding inclusive connectivity and that the presence of all other stakeholders at the event underscored the vital role of collaboration in achieving the goal.
He said the theme of this workshop, “Fostering Connectivity in Unserved and Underserved Communities: Collaborating for Sustainable Growth”, highlighted government’s dedication to bridging the digital divide, in alignment with NCC’s Strategic Focus Areas, the Ministry’s Strategic Blueprint, and Presidential Priority Areas.
“Together, we have the power to create sustainable and inclusive pathways to ensure no community is left behind. Achieving this requires strong partnerships among government, private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), development partners, and community leaders. By sharing insights and resources, we can design tailored solutions that address both immediate and long-term connectivity challenges,” he said.
The USP Secretary stated that ahead of the session, the USPF gathered input from stakeholders through questionnaires. He said the responses obtained shaped the panel discussions, focused on key strategies to foster connectivity through collaboration and partnerships, strengthen capacity building and security, and explore innovative funding mechanisms for sustainable connectivity.
He said the engagement, thus, offered a platform for robust dialogue and practical solutions that address our unique challenges and help improve telecommunications access in underserved regions, while encouraging participants to actively participate, share their expertise, and contribute to shaping outcomes that will strengthen the nation’s digital ecosystem and improve the lives of all Nigerians.
“This event marks the beginning of a collective journey toward a more connected, inclusive, and prosperous Nigeria. USPF is proud to lead this effort, and we look forward to what we can accomplish together,” he said.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that Nigeria’s internet usage reached a record 1.24 million terabytes in November 2025.
According to the latest data from the NCC, the figure rose modestly from 1.235 million terabytes in October, reflecting steady growth in digital activity across the country.
Broadband penetration in Nigeria crossed the halfway mark in November 2025, reaching 50.58 per cent, up from 45.61 per cent in January, the telecoms regulator reported.
The figure, however, falls short of the 70 per cent coverage target outlined in the National Broadband Plan 2020–2025, which expires this month.
The country had roughly 109 million broadband subscriptions by November. Growth has been uneven, hindered by infrastructure and regulatory constraints, including frequent fibre-optic vandalism that triggers 30 to 43 network cuts daily, high right-of-way fees, and declining subscriber numbers earlier in the year.
Expansion of mobile networks, particularly 3G and 4G services, alongside limited 5G rollouts in urban centres, affordable smartphones, and competitive data plans, has driven uptake.
Investments in the National Communications Backbone and private-sector initiatives have also improved access, especially in underserved areas.
While Nigeria is gradually improving digital inclusion, achieving the original broadband plan remains challenging due to high infrastructure costs, coverage limitations, and deployment hurdles.
The NCC maintains that continued investment in mobile networks and broadband infrastructure will sustain gradual growth in the sector.
Commenting on the development, some Nigerian analysts attributed the surge to the broader mobile and broadband adoption and the growing appetite for streaming, online learning and other digital services.
According to the analysts, the figures suggest that internet connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity for both business and leisure, underscoring the slow but steady expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.
L-R: Head Special Projects, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Salamatu Andu; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Engr. Abaraham Oshadame; Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Head Customer Support Service, Galaxy Backbone, Rosemary Ehize; Secretary to the ES. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Tahir Aminu at the BPSR award ceremony for top four MDAs in BPSR Website Performance and Ranking 2025 at the BPSR office on Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
This is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.
In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.
BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure.
Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.
The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).
The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”
While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.
According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.
Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.
“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.
The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.
Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has dismissed reports that bank accounts not linked to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) will be frozen or automatically debited from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele
Oyedele described the claims as false and misleading, warning Nigerians against panic over misinformation surrounding recent tax and financial reforms.
In a post on his X handle Tuesday morning, he wrote: “Don’t let anyone manipulate you. Your bank account is safe. Misinformation makes you panic and fear a reform that is designed to help you.
“When they tell you that your account will be frozen or automatically debited from January 2026, ask them for the evidence in the new law. Be wise.”
He stressed that no provision in the new tax laws authorises the freezing of bank accounts, adding that the rumours are part of widespread misrepresentation of the reforms.
The committee chairman reiterated that the reforms are intended to simplify Nigeria’s tax system and ease the burden on ordinary citizens, not to impose punitive measures on bank customers.
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