Telecom
MTN Celebrates Community Heroes in Lagos, Abuja & Port Harcourt
MTN Nigeria through its social investment Foundation has celebrated 110 public spirited Nigerians who nominated various communities that received interventions from the company at gala events in Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Lagos.
The “What Can We Do Together” project, is an initiative geared towards developing grassroots communities through collaborative effort. The celebrated heroes were the individuals who nominated various communities that received interventions.
This celebration is the climax of the third edition of the “What Can We Do Together (WCWDT)” initiative.
“What Can We Do Together (WCWDT)” initiative provides Nigerians with the opportunity to nominate a community for developmental projects.
Commending the nominators, Abasi-Ekong Udobang, senior manager, Program Implementation, MTN Nigeria, said “The What Can We Do Together initiative reflects our sustained drive to collaborate with Nigerians in executing impactful projects in communities across the country.
“We believe the nominators are the heroes of this initiative as their noble efforts will go a long way in improving the quality of life for millions of Nigerians.
“The altruistic gesture from the nominators led to various interventions by MTN Foundation in nominated communities, including supply of medical equipment to 40 primary health centres with training for the medical staff on the use of the newly supplied equipment.
“Ten communities received solar-powered boreholes and learning materials (school bags, exercise books, raincoats and pencil cases) were distributed to over 15,000 pupils in 60 public primary schools across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” he added.
Speaking at the appreciation event in Lagos organised for nominators from the western region, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, deputy Governor, Lagos State, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Education District III, Lagos State, Dr. Mrs. Yinka Ayandele in her speech, applauded MTN for the kind gesture.
“Lagos State is so pleased to be associated with MTN Nigeria and indeed, the Governor has extended his appreciation for this gesture by the MTN Foundation,” she said.
Since the launch of the first phase of the WCWDT initiative in 2015, 510 communities across 454 local government areas have received diverse interventions from MTN Foundation.
Forty communities have received 500KVA transformers, and 50 650ft boreholes, some of which are solar-powered. Primary health centres in 120 communities received essential medical equipment.
In addition, 174 schools received furniture, and household supplies were delivered to 66 orphanages in different communities nationwide.
The MTN Foundation has over the years partnered with both public and private organisations to initiate sustainable development programmes in different focus areas with the aim of making life brighter for Nigerians.
Telecom
FG Plans EO to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage Costing Telcos Billions
Nigeria will criminalize the destruction of broadband fiber cables following repeated complaints by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and other telecommunications companies that they are losing billions of naira, according to people familiar with the matter.
Federal ministry of works, which supervises federal road constructors, is finalizing the regulation that will be signed as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu, said the people, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to comment.
While there are presently laws against vandalism, the authorities are aiming to regulate construction firms more closely.
The order will enforce stiff penalties on offenders, said the people, declining to provide more details or say when it will be signed.
“Telecom assets are critical backbone that supports the economy across sectors,” said Temitope Ajayi, a senior presidential aide, who noted that the Association of Telecommunications Companies (ATCON) has been demanding the classification for years.
New rules will provide “further assurance that the Nigerian government will protect their investments against vandals and criminal elements.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) estimates that the sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5% in the third quarter of last year.
The move will help alleviate pressure on the telecoms sector, which is facing increased operating costs and sales pressures from a sharp depreciation in the currency and a threefold increase in energy prices.
Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables is estimated to have cost the sector almost 27 billion naira ($23 million) last year alone, documents seen by Bloomberg show.
MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.
MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show. On Feb. 28, a cut on its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil serving company and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.
The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than 11 billion naira – enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines to areas without coverage.
A presidential order on the matter would be welcomed, said Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.
“When it comes to communication infrastructure, they are destroyed at will, so we are eagerly awaiting the president’s order,” he said. “It would be a great boost to the industry, and it will also encourage investment.”
Telecom
Telegram Eyes 1Bn Users amidst Political Pressures
Telegram, the messaging giant founded by Pavel Durov and headquartered in Dubai, anticipates hitting a remarkable milestone of one billion active monthly users within the next year.
Durov’s departure from Russia in 2014, prompted by governmental pressures to stifle opposition communities on his VK social media platform, underscores Telegram’s commitment to neutrality despite geopolitical challenges.
With 900 million active users currently, Telegram stands as a beacon of free speech in the digital realm, particularly influential in former Soviet Union republics and pivotal during conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine standoff.
Durov’s staunch advocacy for freedom of expression and opposition to censorship by tech giants like Apple and Google reinforces Telegram’s status as a neutral platform.
Opting for the UAE as its base, Durov cites its neutrality and openness as conducive to Telegram’s ethos, serving both opposition groups and governments alike while maintaining impartiality.
In Durov’s vision, the pursuit of freedom eclipses material gain, shaping Telegram’s trajectory as a bastion of digital liberation.
Telecom
NITDA, NIMC Announce Collaboration To Strengthen Digital Economy
To further strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have announced a collaboration on National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance and create synergy between digital identity, payment ecosystem, and secure & seemless data exchange capabilities for Nigeria.
During the meeting between the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and Director General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, with some management staff of both organisations, they discussed various initiatives, which include building DPI stacks for a secured and seamless data exchange and forming partnerships to transform the national identity system.
This collaboration also aims to harness the potential of the innovative ecosystem and emphasise the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to drive digital transformation in Nigeria.
To ensure a smooth implementation, a 12-man committee was set up. This committee will play a crucial role in kickstarting and harmonising the initiatives. It is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation report within the next 4 weeks
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