General News
Number Portability without Interconnect Houses’ll be Chaotic -Nnamani
Ikechukwu Nnamani, president/CEO of Medallion Communications Limited has made outstanding contributions to the development of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. He played pivotal roles in deploying the telephony networks of Rainbownet Limited in the cities of Enugu, Aba, Owerri, Abakiliki, Onitsha, and Nsukka, as well as deployed networks for Megatech Engineering in Kano and Startech Networks in Abuja and has handled projects for Boeing Aerospace in St Louis, Missouri, as well as United States Navy Strategic Ballistic Missiles Defense Programme for which he was awarded a United States Navy plaque for outstanding work. In this interview with hilary okeke, Nnamani spoke on a range of issues around interconnect.
Use of Interconnect Houses by Telecom Operators
Yes, telecom operators are beginning to realize and really appreciate the value and importance of interconnect houses in the industry. At least in Lagos currently, Medallion is connected with pretty much all the operators available – GSM, CDMA and fixed lines – and we are getting patronage from each of them both in receiving and sending traffic from them to other operators.
Interconnect Houses and Billing Issues
From the beginning, the main reason why interconnect houses were created was to address these issues of interconnect indebtedness, reconciliation and settlement. It is an integral part of our service offering. In Medallion for instance, there are no disputes amongst operators connected on our network. The reason is simple – as an interconnect point, you generate an independent call records which would always be used for dispute resolution and arbitration. Also, you are able to differentiate and mediate on each type of traffic that comes through your network. So, because you have the right interconnect billing infrastructure, it is easier for you to handle billing and settlement; and these are infrastructures that some of the operators may not have. That is why you find one operator claiming that his infrastructure is better and more advanced than another’s, so whatever is coming from it should be accepted. We are able to bridge that gap. At least I can speak for Medallion as interconnect clearing house – today we have no disputes on our network.
Traffic Exchange Dynamics and Interconnect House
Operator A sends calls to operator B through the interconnect point, three call records are generated for each of the call. Operator A generates a call record, which he might start counting when the trunk is seized; operator B generates his own call records which he might start counting when the call is answered. So, you notice there is going to be a difference in timing from the point of origin and point of termination; a difference in the call records between the trunk time – when the trunk is seized – and the talk time – when you actually have conversations, which should be used for accurate billing of calls. What the clearing house does is reconcile both. On Medallion’s switch for instance, we generate both the trunk time and the talk time, and what is used for billing is talk time, not trunk time. We are able to differentiate both and show them to operators in case one of them says his own time is different – whereby he is probably assuming the trunk time for his billing. What you notice most is that as long as you do not have that independent record to fall back on, which is able to record the differences between the talk and trunk time; you are going to have disputes. So, that is one of the ways we have been able to resolve disputes considering that call records bear time of call, duration of call, the numbering plans for both originating and terminating operators. That would enable you to know that “this is an MTN call going to Zoom or Starcomms.” You should also be able to differentiate when someone is just flashing from when he is actually trying to make a call. Those short duration calls should not be counted, and we are able to separate all that through billing and reconciliation. That is how we are able to prevent disputes.
Clearing Houses’ Records Final?
Not necessarily. We would not want to put it in a militant way; we would rather say that a fact is a fact. As long as you have accurate information that you can prove is accurate, then parties are obliged to honour it. Again as I said, the beauty of calls going through an interconnect point is that you have three records – originating records, terminating records and the records from the clearing house. It is hardly possible for one to see these three records different from each other, and with Medallion’s kind of interconnect platform, it becomes a lot easier to demonstrate to all the parties that the records are accurate. That has been the experience on our network. I would not say that our position or record is final, only that historically, there has been no dispute around the records that we have generated and presented to operators.
Interconnect Houses and Number Portability
We have made a presentation to the regulators that without having efficient interconnect services; number portability is not going to work. It is simple – you need independent transparent entities to handle number portability, and in Nigeria today, it is interconnect operators that have that ability and capability because we already have the links to operators, and are independent, transparent and not in competition with any entity. We have no reason not to honour a request by a subscriber to move from one network to another. I say this not from the Medallion viewpoint but from the interconnect operator class of licence point of view – the industry would be much better, the implementation of number portability would be more efficient if it is handled through the interconnect operators who already have the infrastructure on ground and the ability to offer the service efficiently. Literally, it is no different from what we are already doing; it is pretty much going to be seen as an additional class of service within the existing class of service that we offer. So, interconnect operators are fully prepared to offer number portability and we truly hope to be able to make it a seamless transition for the industry if our service is fully embraced.
Number Portability without Interconnect Houses
It is going to be chaotic! Again, if you have pair-to-pair (when operator A directly connects to operator B), and a subscriber on operator A’s network sends him a request to be migrated to operator B’s network, chances are that that request would not be honoured because the operator would not want to lose his customers, and so will do all he can to stop that subscriber. Number portability is just not going to work unless you have independent bodies handling it; the request to be ported must be handled by an independent body that is not the operator whom the subscriber wants to move from. That is the best way it is going to work, otherwise you would see anti-competition taking over; it is just going to be inefficient, requests would be delayed and denied. Ultimately, the subscriber is going to be the one to suffer and he may not have the records. It would be the subscriber’s word against the operator’s. In other parts of the world, it is never the same operator that owns the subscriber, which handles the movement of the subscriber to another network – it is always handled by independent bodies.
Legal Issues around Interconnection
Interconnect is a regulatory requirement, it is mandatory that all operators interconnect among themselves. The major reason for this is anti-competition because the regulator wants to ensure that no one dominant operator in the industry holds others to ransom. So, there is simply a regulatory requirement that all operators must interconnect with one another; and for interconnect operators, that regulatory requirement is equally paramount. Once an interconnect operator demands for interconnect, the regulation requires that that request be honoured by the operator to whom the request is made. Going beyond the regulatory requirement and looking at it from the commercial angle; using the service of an interconnect operator has a lot benefits for a telecom operator. Even if there were no regulatory requirement, any smart operator would embrace it because it helps them to reduce the cost of their operation considering the number of interconnect links that need to be put in place; resolve issues around billing disputes and reconciliation, and issues of capacity for interconnect. Any operator that fails to embrace interconnect services fully lacks knowledge about how telecoms can function efficiently. Everyone is talking about infrastructure sharing – what an interconnect operator offers you is simply a means to share your interconnect infrastructure with others in a cost effective way. At the end of the day, your savings in cost could run into hundreds of millions of Naira.
Interconnect Houses and Emerging Mobile Currency Trend
Medallion is at the forefront of the promotion of mobile banking. We currently have a number of the mobile groups trying to work with us. For mobile banking to function properly, there must be a seamless interface between the banks and the operators and that kind of interface cannot be handled on a pair-to-pair basis. The interconnect operator makes it faster for mobile banking to be implemented across the various networks. We have been at the forefront of this and we try to promote it believing that it is one of the ways to bridge the divide between the banks and the telcos. We know that there are now more telecom subscribers than account holders in the banks. So, there is a huge market and opportunity here. It is also a global trend, and Nigeria cannot be left behind. There is a huge sector of the population that is still unbanked and this sector cannot afford banking services the way they are offered today. Mobile banking focuses on driving down the cost of providing services to be able to reach the unbanked. What a company like Medallion has done is to be very active in that space and put the necessary infrastructure in place to make it happen in a cost effective way for the banks, the operators and most importantly, the subscribers. We at Medallion just play the role of a platform provider to enable mobile banking. Without an interconnect house, it means that each of the banks and operators would set up a separate link to one another, and if you do the permutation, that would be a lot of links! You should also know that banks are not operators and vice versa, so somebody has to handle that interface between both of them to ensure that they ‘speak the same language.’ Interconnect operators are needed to provide accurate reconciliation, settlement and billing. Call records have to be generated and both parties have to be convinced that the dynamics of the transactions were handled accurately.
The Bank of Industry (BoI), Nigeria’s foremost Development Finance Institution (DFI), has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), setting the stage for deeper economic cooperation, expanded investment flows, and stronger industrial partnerships between Nigeria and Belgium.
The agreement was signed during a high-level breakfast meeting jointly hosted by BoI and the NBCC under the theme, “Scaling Operations, Expanding Capacity, and Accessing Competitive Finance.” The event convened senior government officials, diplomats, business leaders, development partners, MSMEs, and private sector stakeholders committed to advancing bilateral trade and industrial development.
Speaking on behalf of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, the Executive Director, Corporate Finance, Sustainability and Investments, Mr. Rotimi Akinde, described the partnership as a strategic milestone in BoI’s drive to expand global collaborations that accelerate Nigeria’s industrial transformation.
“As Nigeria’s leading Development Finance Institution, the Bank of Industry has consistently recognised that sustainable industrial development is built not only on access to finance but also on enduring strategic partnerships.
“This collaboration with the Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce reflects our commitment to creating stronger international business corridors that unlock investment, facilitate technology transfer, support MSMEs, and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial competitiveness,” he said.
Akinde noted that Belgium remains one of Europe’s most dynamic trading and investment destinations, making the partnership an important platform for promoting co-investment opportunities, export development, enterprise growth, and knowledge exchange between businesses in both countries.
The two-year renewable MoU establishes a framework for joint business forums, investment roadshows, trade missions, business matchmaking, enterprise capacity development, and increased promotion of BoI’s financing solutions to Belgian investors and businesses operating in Nigeria.
The collaboration is also expected to improve access to foreign direct investment, expand export-oriented industrial projects, and create stronger commercial linkages between BoI-supported enterprises and the Belgian business community.
Delivering the welcome address, His Excellency Pieter Leenknegt, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Nigeria, commended the growing economic relationship between both countries and expressed optimism that the partnership would create new opportunities for businesses on both sides.
The General Manager of the Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce, Marc Eeckhout, described the agreement as a practical platform for translating business interest into measurable economic outcomes.
“This Memorandum of Understanding represents more than an institutional partnership; it creates a structured bridge between Belgian innovation and Nigerian enterprise. By working closely with the Bank of Industry, we are opening new pathways for investment, technology exchange, and business collaboration that will enable companies from both countries to scale with confidence while contributing to sustainable industrial development,” he said.
The breakfast dialogue featured presentations on business expansion, industrial financing, and competitiveness, with contributions from industry leaders, including Engr. Vincent Adegbotolu, Managing Director/CEO of DWC Engineering, and Mudiaga Okumagba, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Direct Logistics Plus.
The partnership aligns with BoI’s 2025–2027 Corporate Strategy, which prioritises industrialisation, MSME development, youth and skills, women’s economic empowerment, climate finance, digital transformation, infrastructure, and export promotion. With assets valued at over ₦6.8 trillion, the Bank continues to strengthen strategic international partnerships that support the Federal Government’s industrialisation agenda while creating jobs, enhancing productivity, and promoting sustainable economic growth.
Through the collaboration, BoI expects to attract new investment opportunities from the Belgian business ecosystem, increase financing for high-impact industrial projects, strengthen export value chains, and improve the investment readiness of Nigerian enterprises through joint advisory and capacity-building initiatives.
The Bank reaffirmed its commitment to working with global partners to unlock long-term capital, accelerate industrial growth, and position Nigeria as a competitive investment destination within Africa and beyond.
Federal government has announced plans to end the separation between Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) as part of efforts to improve school retention and reduce the high number of pupils dropping out before completing secondary education.
Tunji Alausa, minister of Education
Tunji Alausa, minister of Education, announced the proposal on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja.
Alausa said the existing “disarticulation policy,” which requires junior and senior secondary schools to operate independently with separate principals, management structures and facilities, has failed to achieve its intended objectives and has instead worsened access to education.
According to him, the Federal Government will present a proposal to abolish the policy at the next meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE), the country’s highest education policymaking body.
“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students?” the minister queried.
“We also found we have 80,000 public primary schools and only about 15,000 junior secondary schools. That’s a one-to-eight ratio.”
He explained that the mismatch between the number of primary and junior secondary schools has created severe bottlenecks in the education system, leading to overcrowded classrooms at the junior secondary level while many senior secondary school facilities remain underutilised.
Alausa cited Kaduna and several northern states as examples where the policy has contributed to poor transition rates between basic and secondary education.
“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We can’t be creating positions because we want to create director-level appointments for people while we harm our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” he said.
The minister said the proposed reform forms part of broader efforts by the Tinubu administration to improve access to education, increase retention rates and enhance learning outcomes across the country.
He acknowledged previous shortcomings in tackling the out-of-school children crisis but expressed confidence that the current administration would reverse the trend.
“This government will not fail. We are fixing it,” Alausa declared.
At the ceremony, the minister also inaugurated the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to supervise the execution of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools nationwide.
He said the committee had been tasked with ensuring that the projects are completed, handed over to state governments and opened for teaching and learning.
Although UBEC has invested in hundreds of Smart Schools and related educational projects across the country, Alausa lamented that many remain abandoned, unfinished or yet to admit pupils, describing the situation as an unacceptable waste of public resources.
He stressed that improving education requires more than constructing schools, insisting that completed facilities must become fully operational and accessible to learners.
Federal government has said that it plans to establish a National Skills Database as part of efforts to reduce unemployment, address the growing mismatch between available skills and industry needs, and strengthen workforce planning through data-driven policies.
The proposed database, to be developed under a Nigerian Skills Observatory, is expected to provide real-time information on the supply and demand of skills across sectors, enabling better job matching, improved policy formulation and targeted investments.
The plan was unveiled at the second National Skills and Industry Alignment Roundtable Series held in Abuja with the theme, “The Role of Data in Job Creation, Coordination and Linkages.”
Delivering the keynote address, Yemi Kale, group chief economist and managing director of Research and Trade Intelligence, Afreximbank, said Nigeria’s labour market challenge was no longer the absence of data but the inability to convert existing information into actionable intelligence.
“The challenge for us as a nation is not one of data accumulation. It is one of data integration and intelligence,” Kale said.
He explained that although vast amounts of information on education, employment, wages and skills development already exist across government agencies, educational institutions and the private sector, the data remains fragmented, making effective labour market planning difficult.
“Data tells you what exists. Intelligence tells you what is happening, what is likely to happen next and what actions should be taken,” he said.
Kale lamented that while Nigeria produces thousands of graduates annually, employers in critical sectors continue to struggle to recruit qualified workers, even as millions of Nigerians remain unemployed or underemployed.
“The problem is that employers are searching, workers are searching, policymakers are searching and investors are searching independently rather than collectively. Opportunities that should be visible remain hidden because the information needed to connect them is fragmented,” he said.
According to him, the disconnect has created structural inefficiencies that discourage investment, suppress productivity and prevent Nigeria from fully leveraging its youthful population.
He added that countries that successfully transformed their economies deliberately aligned education, skills development and workforce planning with the needs of industry.
Kale urged Nigeria to view its youthful population as an economic asset by ensuring young people acquire skills demanded by modern industries.
Speaking on the proposed National Skills Database, Rimam Nuhu, special assistant to the President on Workforce Development, said the platform would serve as the foundation of the Nigerian Skills Observatory.
“At the most foundational level, the Skills Observatory is to create a database on the demand and supply of skills,” Nuhu said.
He explained that the National Council on Skills, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, would rely on data generated by the observatory to formulate evidence-based policies on workforce development.
“Skills development is an input for job creation. We have a market where there are a lot of skills mismatches. Understanding exactly where those shortages exist will help us plan better and improve workforce planning.
“Ultimately, that contributes to a more productive economy,” he added.
Nuhu acknowledged ongoing debates over whether Nigeria is facing an actual shortage of skilled workers or merely a mismatch between available skills and labour market demand, stressing that the database would provide the evidence needed to guide interventions.
Earlier, Akubo Adegbe, senior special assistant to the President on Coordination and Delivery, said the roundtable was convened to tackle the fragmentation of labour market information across government institutions and the private sector.
He noted that despite huge volumes of workforce data being generated daily, the lack of coordination often leaves policymakers without a comprehensive understanding of labour market realities.
“If our first Roundtable challenged us to better align skills with industry, this second Roundtable challenges us to better align information with action,” Adegbe said.
Also speaking, Massimo De Luca, head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said the EU would continue supporting Nigeria’s efforts to build a labour market capable of meeting investors’ needs.
“We have a shortage of skilled labour when it comes to big investment projects. On the other hand, we have a lot of untapped talent that is not adequately recognised.
“Those are realities that investors take into account,” De Luca said.
He commended the Office of the Vice President for leading reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s skills development ecosystem.
The Federal Government’s plan comes amid persistent unemployment and skills mismatch in Nigeria, where many graduates remain jobless despite employers reporting shortages of qualified workers in critical sectors.
The National Skills Database will serve as the foundation of the proposed Nigerian Skills Observatory, an initiative designed to provide real-time labour market data to guide workforce planning, skills development and evidence-based job creation policies.
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