Telecom
Etisalat Handover Renovated Education Facilities to Kano Government
As part of efforts aimed at boosting quality education, Nigeria’s fastest growing and most innovative telecoms operator, Etisalat Nigeria, has completed the renovation of several educational facilities at Girls’ Government College, Dala, Kano State in North West Nigeria.
Professor Hafiz Abubakar, the State’s deputy governor and commissioner for Education, on Tuesday unveiled the facilities renovated by Etisalat in the school as part of its Adopt-A-School initiative, a pan-Nigeria intervention programme aimed at facilitating the delivery of quality education through the creation of conducive learning environment for primary and secondary school students.
Speaking about the intervention programme, the Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko, said the company aims to help drive the delivery of quality education.
“The whole aim is to drive the delivery of quality education. What we have done is to create an enabling environment for conducive learning which in turn drives improvement in learning. As an innovative company, we are about driving sustainable development using education as one of the key platforms, “he said.
Dikko, who was represented by the company’s Head, Government and Community Relations, Mohammed Suley-Yusuf, also reiterated the company’s commitment to partnering with the Kano state government in achieving its developmental goals in critical areas particularly education.
“Etisalat is proud to be able to contribute positively to achieving the government’s objective of improving Kano State especially in the area of Education. We will continue to collaborate to move the state and indeed the nation forward, even as we work towards being the telecommunications partner of choice for Nigeria. We laud Kano State government, for recognising the potential of and encouraging public private partnership, “he said.
Also speaking in his address, the Kano State deputy Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar noted that the intervention will help the Abdullahi Ganduje-led administration in achieving its objective of ‘providing education for all’ especially for the girl child.
According to him, Kano State needs about 15,000 classrooms in state-owned secondary schools to enable them take in the 30% of secondary school prospects who have not been able to transit to secondary school upon completing primary education.
His words, “Today, we are witnessing the result of a strategic partnership. We as a people are particularly glad because it is very clear to us that given our population as the most densely populated state in the country, the three tiers of Government cannot single-handedly bear the huge funding burden of education without external support. Therefore, it is very heart-warming to see Etisalat take this initiative of adopting a school for life with the objective of making sure that it brings about positive infrastructural development and enhanced quality of learning through the provision of educational materials.”
Prof. Abubakar also commended Etisalat for combining its core business function of providing quality telecoms services with strategic contributions to the development of the society in various areas through some initiatives like the Adopt-A-School programme.
The facilities include the school’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre equipped with computers, library which was fitted with furniture and books, Kwankwaso Hostel Block, a modern science laboratory, solar-powered potable water facility and seven classrooms with chairs and tables.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is intensifying efforts to implement Nigeria’s planned 112 national emergency number following its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC).
NCC
The commission disclosed this during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and an NCC delegation led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing the Vice President, Olorunnimbe said the NCC had already established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across the country to support a unified national emergency response system.
He said the next phase of implementation would focus on closer collaboration with state governments and emergency response agencies to ensure the effective rollout of the initiative.
The development follows the recent approval by the NEC, chaired by the Vice President, for the adoption of 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number across all tiers of government and emergency response agencies.
The council also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee to be jointly coordinated by the Office of the Vice President and the NCC.
Olorunnimbe stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on the commitment of state governments to support and maintain emergency communications infrastructure, as well as the readiness of response agencies to promptly attend to distress calls.
“We need commitment at every level of all response agencies—from top to bottom—including the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services across the states and, at the national level, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” he said.
Responding, Shettima directed the NCC to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the nationwide implementation of the single emergency number in line with international best practices.
He also urged the commission to work closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), citing the agency’s experience in disaster management, relief and rehabilitation.
The Vice President assured the commission of the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining the initiative, saying funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council and partnerships with the private sector.
He also called for greater dedication from all emergency response agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
The adoption of 112 is expected to harmonise emergency communications across Nigeria by providing a single number through which citizens can quickly access police, fire, ambulance and other emergency services.
The initiative is also expected to replace multiple emergency contact numbers currently in use and improve coordination and response during emergencies.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
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