Telecom
NCC Staff Eulogise Aliyu, Aninweke in Retirement
As two management staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) complete the final stage of their disengagement with the regulatory body, the staff of the Commission have continued to eulogise their eventful tenure at the Commission.
Mallam Ibrahim Aliyu, who retired as the Head of Administration, and Chief Okechukwu Aninweke, Head of Risk Management, retired from the Commission upon attainment of 60 year mandatory age of retirement, and were celebrated at different occasions by the staff, who listed their sterling qualities and track record of achievements.
Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Mr. Adeleke Adewolu, commended Mallam Aliyu for his enormous contributions to the Commission in the 26 years of serving in different departments, including a stint as the Zonal Controller of Lagos Zonal Office.
Pouring encomiums on the two staff, Adewolu appreciated the duo and extended the commendation of the “the Board, Management and entire staff of the Commission to them for their laudable and impressive contributions to the sustainability of the nation’s telecoms industry.” The ECSM prayed God to grant them sound health and minds to continue to positively flourish in their future endeavours.
Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Ephraim Nwokonneya, recalled that both Aliyu and Aninweke’s track record were known for their passion, commitment, and integrity as consummate civil servants, who were sticklers to work ethics and provisions of civil service rules.
“The retirement of Aliyu and Aninweke should expectedly come with the tons and tons of tributes and commendations that we have witnessed so far.
“This is because these two distinguished individuals have come, seen and conquered. Indeed, they left their feet in the sand of times for their sterling performances in various capacities where they creditably served while in the services of the Commission,” he said.
Mr. Usman Malah, Director, Human Capital and Administration, while praising Aliyu for his dedication and several achievements, including some monumental achievements while he served at the Kano Zonal Office, chronicled his sojourn since he joined the NCC in May 1996.
He recalled his achievements in Kano Zonal Office in January 1997 as a Senior Manager, and his feats after his redeployment to Lagos Zonal Office, once again as Principal Manager in January 2001.
Malah spoke about how he, Aliyu, never rested on his oars even when he became the Zonal Controller in Lagos, and later Zonal Controller in Kano.
Aliyu was later redeployed to the Policy Competition and Economic Analysis Department, where he headed the Economic Analysis as Assistant Director and later promoted as Deputy Director and appointed Head of the Administration Department in October 2018. Aliyu also had a stint at Consumer Affairs Department, Project Department, and back to Administration Department from where he retired.
In his momentous sojourn at the Commission, Aninweke was noted to have traversed several departments in NCC, including Licensing (Tariff and Charges), and Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement (CME), before he was redeployed to the Lagos Zonal Office as Principal Manager to head it as Zonal Controller in July 2011.
Aninweke, through his performances and contributions, made tremendous impact at the Lagos Zonal Office as Zonal Controller for almost six years, and he is fondly remembered for his performance in Lagos during which he won the award of the best performing Zonal Controller.
Described as a man that has given his best to the Commission and the nation, Chief Aninweke who joined the NCC in 2001 as a Deputy Manager, had also had track record of eventful and credible performance at the Commission.
Director of Project, Mrs. Abigail Sholanke, recall the entrance of Aninweke, and his dedication to duty, leading to many visible achievements in all the areas of his posting.
He said Aninweke’s type will be hard to forget because of his self-motivation, fearless disposition to carry out responsibilities and his knack for excelling in his assignments.
After his performance as Zonal Controller in Lagos, he was redeployed to the Corporate Planning, Strategy and Risk Management (CPSRM) Department at the Head Office in 2017, where he headed several units, including Performance Management, Policy Review, Strategy, Risk Management, and then Digital Economy (which started as a Unit in CPSRM). While in CPSRM Department, Aninweke articulated and laid the foundation for the take-off of the current Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024.
Apart from his duties at the Commission, he was elected twice as the President of NCC Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society, a position he fittingly and cumulatively occupied for four years while in service, and with high achievements and impactful leadership.
On the sports scene, Aninweke is ranked in the high echelon of professional football referees, where he had served as match commissioner in Nigerian football for several years.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced the formation of Airbel Ventures, a new humanitarian impact investing fund aimed at accelerating the introduction and scaling of breakthrough technologies in crisis-affected communities.
The fund will invest in companies whose ideas have the potential to change humanitarian response, including digital infrastructure for frontline health systems and climate-resilient agriculture.
The launch of Airbel Ventures follows a period of rapid innovation at the IRC, despite the humanitarian sector facing record funding cuts.
In the past year, the IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab has advanced more than twenty Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology initiatives—from anticipatory action tools powered by climate and vulnerability data, to frontline service delivery using safe, orchestrated AI systems, to breakthrough diagnostic tools for emerging diseases.
Airbel Ventures’ first impact investment is in Signalytic, a company delivering solar-powered computing devices that ensure reliable electricity and connectivity for remote health facilities.
Following the investment, the IRC will pilot Signalytic’s technology with its Nigeria Health team, demonstrating the viability of next-generation digital infrastructure in humanitarian settings.
“We know breakthrough solutions already exist—what’s missing is the path to scale in humanitarian contexts,” said Dr. Jeannie Annan, Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation at the IRC and head of the Airbel Impact Lab.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecommunications operator, recorded a historic surge in network disruptions in 2025, suffering 9,218 fibre cuts as of December 31, alongside 211 base station sites affected by theft and vandalism, incidents that disrupted mobile and data services relied upon daily by millions of Nigerians.
The data was revealed by Dr Karl Toriola, chief executive officer/managing director, MTN Nigeria via a social media post titled ‘MTN Nigeria 2025 Wrapped’.
The scale of the damage highlights the growing vulnerability of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, which has come under increasing pressure from road construction activities, cable theft and deliberate acts of vandalism.
MTN said 5,478 fibre cuts occurred within just the first seven months of 2025, with 760 incidents recorded in July alone, underscoring the intensity of the challenge.
Some of the incidents had wide-ranging consequences, knocking out connectivity across multiple states simultaneously and affecting voice calls, data services, digital payments and enterprise operations.
The company described the situation as a national infrastructure problem, rather than an isolated corporate issue, given the economy’s deep dependence on mobile networks.
“These gaps were shaped by real operational challenges such as fibre cuts, theft, and vandalism. Their impact is felt directly by customers and reflected in what they tell us,” Toriola,
The disruptions were reflected in customer feedback volumes, as MTN handled an unprecedented number of complaints during the year. The operator said it resolved 1,624,263 customer complaints in 2025, spanning call centres, social media platforms, emails and physical service centres nationwide.
Despite the setbacks, MTN pointed to signs of operational resilience. The company retained its ranking as Nigeria’s best network by Ookla, returned to profitability after a challenging period, declared an interim dividend, and expanded its subscriber base to over 85 million users by September 2025.
The figures show that while Nigeria’s telecom operators continue to invest heavily in network expansion and customer service, infrastructure sabotage remains a major drag on service quality and operating costs.
MTN acknowledged that performance improvements remain a work in progress. “We are not where we want to be yet. We see you. We hear you. We exist because of you. And we will get better,” Toriola said.
As the company enters its 25th year of operations in Nigeria, Toriola said MTN is doubling down on customer-centricity, treating every piece of feedback as a guide for improvement, while also stepping up engagement with government agencies.
The CEO renewed calls for stronger regulatory and legal protections for telecommunications infrastructure, urging policymakers to classify fibre cables, base stations and other critical assets as national infrastructure and criminalise vandalism to deter repeat attacks.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted operating licences to six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), effective January 1, 2026, raising the total number of authorised ISPs in the country to 231 from 225 recorded in December 2025.
NCC
The newly licensed firms are Intellvision Technologies Limited, Granet Technologies Limited, Fiber Sonic Limited, Dasol Solution Services Ltd, Boost ISP Limited, and Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited.
Five of these companies are headquartered in Lagos, while Granet Technologies Limited operates from Owerri in Imo State, highlighting the persistent concentration of broadband infrastructure in major commercial hubs like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
This development intensifies competition in Nigeria’s broadband market, which faces pressure from dominant mobile network operators such as MTN and Airtel, alongside rapid expansion by satellite providers like Starlink.
Traditional ISPs continue to grapple with shrinking customer bases, aggressive data pricing from telcos, and satellite disruptions, even as NCC data from Q2 2025 showed Spectranet, Starlink, and FibreOne controlling about 65 per cent of the 313,713 active ISP subscribers.
The inclusion of Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited marks a significant entry of global satellite broadband competition, building on Nigeria’s recent approvals for other low Earth orbit providers to enhance connectivity in underserved areas.
Industry analysts view the licences as a strategic push to improve internet quality amid rising demand for digital services, though geographic clustering underscores ongoing infrastructure challenges outside urban centres.
NCC’s move aligns with broader efforts to foster a competitive telecoms sector critical to Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.
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