Telecom
NIPR Harps on Importance of Digital Skill Set in PR Space
Mr. Olusegun McMedal, Chairman, Lagos State Chapter, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has reiterated its commitment in helping its members acquire the right digital skill sets that will enable them operate in the PR space.
He stated this at the Third edition of Lagos Digital PR summit with the theme: ‘The future of the communication professional: Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Machine Learning and Data Driven Contents’ held recently in Lagos.
McMedal explained that the aim of the summit is to help their colleagues, especially senior practitioners in the industry to identify that digital media blossoming and the need for them to operate in the space.
According to him, “This summit is the third in the series and the idea behind this is for us to identify that digital media is blossoming and most of our colleagues’ especially senior practitioners are not actually using that space.
“We are also looking at the possibility of getting the younger people interested in using this medium for their practice.
“So we birthed the idea to have this annual digital PR summit where we will aggregate some knowledge from veterans in the digital space to sharpen the skill sets of practitioners, especially to be able to operate in that space.
He noted that PR practitioners are losing their businesses to non-professionals because of lack of adequate digital skill set.
He added that with this type of summit they hope to stem the tide and ensure that professional get back their businesses.
McMedal further revealed that most of their practitioners have started to sharpen their skill sets by going into digital space.
He said that the choice of this year’s theme is important because Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and machine learning have become the trend for most companies hence the need to let practitioner to know that Artificial Intelligence is not a bad thing but good for the practice.
Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, MD/CEO, CMC Connect, speaking at the event, said that digital skill is a tool in public relations, adding that it’s a platform that practitioners should embrace in achieving their goals.
He noted that we should reappraise the way conduct our traditional services so that we can engage digital.
He added that any vibrant organization that does not have a significant budget for digital will become irrelevant in the next few years.
Badejo-Okusanya also called on PR practitioners to start selling their services in sachets so that they will remain in business, adding that organizations do no longer call for pinch any longer.
He advised practitioners to focus on areas where they have core competence and give services in that area, instead of going for a full pinch.
He reeled out 10 plus 1 big things that will shape the future of public relations in the country as Technology and consumerism, Activism and Advocacy, Media Consumption Habit, Global business, Creativity and Innovation.
Others are Governance and nation state, Influencers and Culture Re-orientation, Value Determination, Business of Public Relations and Talent and Story Telling.
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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