Telecom
Putting the Records Straight: NITDA Clarifies Engagement with ASUU’s UTAS Platform
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has emphasised that it subjected the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to a review to allow for a comprehensive solution that equals standard.
Mrs Hadiza Umar, head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of the agency, said this on Saturday in a statement issued in Abuja.
Umar said it became necessary for the agency to set the record straight owing to biased information in the public domain about the involvement of NITDA to the solution.
She explained that the Act establishing NITDA mandated it to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardisation, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology (IT) practices in Nigeria.
To that effect, Umar said the agency had over the years, issued series of regulatory instruments, including the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline issued in 2016.
“This regulatory instrument, currently being reviewed, provides guidelines for the design, development and testing of software projects in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, Section 10 of the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT, 2019, provided detailed guidelines and expectations for Indigenous Software Development and Software Enabled Products and Services.
“In line with its mandate, the agency has been registering indigenous software solutions and part of the registration process requires that solutions are subjected to tests in line with the requirements of the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline, and the Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT.
“It is common knowledge that ASUU has been engaging the Federal Government on a number of issues including payment of promotion arrears, earned academic allowance, funding for revitalisation of public Universities, and adoption of UTAS as payment platform for universities.
“On the October 14, 2020, NITDA was invited to participate in an interactive session between ASUU, Federal Government and the Legislature to avail ASUU the opportunity to demonstrate the UTAS platform,” Umar said.
According to her, as part of the conditions for acceptance of UTAS as payment platform for public universities by the Federal Government, NITDA was directed to subject the platform to Integrity Test and advise the government appropriately.
She added that the agency conducted three out of eight tests specified in the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline.
Umar said the tests included User Acceptance Test (UAT), Stress Test, and Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Test (VAPT).
She added that NITDA met with ASUU on Oct. 22, 2020, to discuss the modalities of the assessment of the solution, which involved the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
“Furthermore, documents necessary for effective planning and execution of the tests were requested.
“Upon receipt of the documents from ASUU as well as access details of the UTAS platform in January, 2021, the agency’s team carried out basic Functionality/User Acceptance Test on the platform.
“As NUC conducted UAT, NITDA felt it can use the report produced by NUC for its report.
“However, upon review, it was observed that the Solution was demonstrated to the Principal Officers in a similar way it was demonstrated at the Accountant General’s Office.
The Agency decided that further UAT be carried out with actual end-users from the University System,” she said.
She explained that arrangements were made and 46 staff members from 28 Federal Universities, mainly from Vice Chancellor’s Office, Human Resources, Accounts and Bursary participated in the UAT that held at the NUC complex on Aug. 10, 2021.
According to her, although the UAT was carried out as planned, challenges were encountered that negatively impacted on the outcome of the assessment.
Umar added that the agency’s team also carried out series of Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Tests on the UTAS platform, which revealed high risk vulnerabilities that were likely to negatively impact on the platform, if exploited.
“Furthermore, two Low Risk vulnerabilities were identified and all discussed with the ASUU team and a further assessment carried out on the updated version of the Solution revealed that the High Risk Vulnerabilities have been addressed.
“However, one Medium Risk, three Low Risks and 44 Informational Risks were identified and were adequately communicated to the relevant stakeholders including ASUU,” the spokesperson said.
She added that a comprehensive report outlining all the tests carried out and issues identified were submitted to Dr Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, on Dec. 3, 2021, and also to the Chief Conciliator, Dr Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, as well as other stakeholders in ASUU.
Umar recalled that on Feb. 22, 2022, during the conciliation meeting at the instance of Ngige, it was resolved that NITDA worked with ASUU and subject UTAS to re-assessment with key members of the conciliation team in attendance during the Technical Team’s sessions as observers.
“It may interest the agency’s stakeholders to know that NITDA, as a responsible agency of government, made all arrangements to ensure that the exercise was carried out successfully.
“The interaction commenced on the March 8, 2022, with discussion on the methodology to be used as specified in the Software Testing and Quality Assurance Framework and Guideline.
“Upon reaching agreement and starting the actual test on the Solution, a critical error occurred and the test could not continue and as a result, the interaction had to be postponed to enable the ASUU Team rectify the issue.
“Considering the challenge encountered, the assessment methodology had to be reviewed to facilitate daily remediation of critical issues as they occur which is against NITDA’s Standard Operating Procedure for such exercises,” she said.
She recognised the attention of stakeholders and the general public to the need for the UTAS platform to be sufficiently robust with key functionalities implemented before being deployed to the production environment.
Umar reiterated that the solution as currently implemented was limited, adding that there are critical functionalities that needed to be implemented, tested and passed before the Solution could be considered to meet NITDA’s due diligent requirements.
“These areas of improvement have been fully documented and shared with the ASUU team for necessary action.
“It is expected that ASUU will improve on the areas identified, work on the security issues flagged and resubmit the Solution for further assessment.
“The agency wish to use this opportunity to assure stakeholders and the general public of its commitment to its mandate and the vision of proactively facilitating the development of Nigeria into a sustainable digital economy by creating an enabling environment where Nigerians develop, adopt and derive value from digital technology,” the statement read in part.
MTN Nigeria has marked 25 years of commercial operations, with Karl Toriola, chief executive officer, saying the company began operating in the country at a time when telecommunications access was severely limited.
Toriola said that a quarter of a century ago, making a phone call was a privilege few Nigerians could afford.
People queued at public telephone booths and centres, travelled long distances to deliver messages, and sometimes waited weeks for letters to arrive, he said, noting that a mobile phone was then beyond the reach of most.
Today, the company connects more than 90 million people across Nigeria, a figure MTN says reflects its role in building the infrastructure behind the country’s shift to a data-driven economy.
MTN entered Nigeria in 2001 following the GSM liberalisation carried out by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), at a time when mobile telephony was still a luxury reserved for a privileged few.
Toriola said the milestone was about more than subscriber numbers.
Businesses have been built, families have stayed connected across distances, students have gained access to knowledge, and creators have found audiences beyond Nigeria’s borders, he said, crediting the wider telecommunications ecosystem for enabling entire new industries to emerge.
The company also pointed to its role beyond direct connectivity.
MTN has helped build a wider value chain of SIM registration agents, tower contractors, retail distributors, fintech partners and digital developers that now supports millions of livelihoods in Nigeria.
Toriola thanked MTN Nigeria’s customers, saying their trust had allowed the company to expand its community investments through the MTN Foundation, which has supported health, education, youth development and economic empowerment programmes.
Looking ahead, the CEO acknowledged that significant connectivity gaps remain, with millions of Nigerians still needing access to reliable, affordable and inclusive digital services.
He said greater digital inclusion would be a central priority for the company’s next chapter, adding that the anniversary marks both a celebration of the past 25 years and a renewed push to expand digital access for the country’s young and growing population.
“We’ve come a long way. And we are only getting started,” Toriola said.
The anniversary comes as MTN Nigeria continues to navigate rising operating costs tied to Nigeria’s unreliable power supply.
Where the national grid is unreliable, the company and its infrastructure partners have had to rely on diesel generators, batteries, solar systems and other backup power solutions, making network operating costs highly sensitive to fluctuations in diesel prices.
Telecommunications subscribers under the umbrella of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), has handed telecommunications operators in the country September deadline to improve network quality or face legal action.
Deolu Ogunbanjo, president, NATCOMS, said that subscribers have endured deteriorating network services despite repeated interventions, warnings, and sanctions by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
As reported by BusinessDay, Ogunbanjo, noted that if the situation fails to improve through regulatory intervention, NATCOMS will seek justice through the courts by the end of the third quarter.
The ultimatum comes as rising data consumption, subscriber migration, and growing demand for mobile services place severe pressure on network infrastructure across parts of the country.
The NCC stated that mobile operators have offered compensation to more than 75 million subscribers for poor network quality following a regulatory directive requiring restitution in locations where performance fell below required standards.
The regulator is conducting an independent review to determine whether all eligible subscribers received proper compensation.
The compensation scheme, provided through automatic airtime credits for verified service failures dating back to November 2025, requires no individual claims from consumers.
For many subscribers, however, airtime credits do little to offset the broader economic and personal toll of unreliable connectivity.
Emeka Douglas, a subscriber, recounted how poor network quality nearly turned a medical emergency into a tragedy when he was unable to transfer funds to a hospital during his wife’s surgery.
Douglas noted that his brother in the United States eventually sent funds directly to the hospital’s account after local banking channels failed.
Janet Okoye, a small business owner, said unreliable connectivity severely affected her business after service disruptions on her Airtel and Globacom lines led clients to cancel orders.
Teniola Adeyemi, a university student, highlighted dropped calls as a major concern, stressing that recent tariff increases ought to reflect in better service quality.
Grace Eze, an Abuja-based media professional, explained that fluctuating network connectivity once delayed a lead news story intended for her editor in Lagos, resulting in an official query over late submission.
Pressure on national networks is driven by both expanding subscriber numbers and rising usage intensity.
Active telephony subscriptions in Nigeria rose from 182.2 million in January 2026 to over 187 million by April, according to NCC data. MTN leads the market with 96.4 million subscriptions, followed by Airtel with 64.7 million and Globacom with 23.2 million.
Telecom
ipNX Collaborates with ICT Stakeholders on the Future of Fibre-to-the-Home in Nigeria @ ATCON Forum
ipNX Nigeria joined other stakeholders across the telecommunications ecosystem as they convened at the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Critical Conversation Forum on Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) to deliberate on practical solutions to the challenges affecting broadband infrastructure deployment and the future of fibre connectivity in the country.
The forum, themed “Fibre to the Home in Nigeria: Addressing Challenges, Strengthening Standards and Ensuring Sustainable Deployment,” was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Lagos, and brought together representatives from government agencies, telecommunications operators, regulators, infrastructure providers, industry associations, and the media to foster dialogue around policies and collaborative actions needed to accelerate Nigeria’s broadband ambition.
Delivering the keynote address virtually, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, described Fibre-to-the-Home as a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital future.
“FTTH is uniquely positioned to meet Nigerians’ next phase of data demand. The quality of our broadband will increasingly shape the competitiveness of our businesses, the growth of our digital industry and the opportunities available to our citizens,” he said.
Dr. Maida also stressed the importance of protecting telecommunications infrastructure, noting that damage to fibre networks carries significant economic consequences.
“We must uphold deployment standards. Nigeria needs fibre that is properly installed, properly documented, and properly protected.”
Speaking during the opening session, ATCON President, Mr. Tony Emoekpere, underscored the strategic importance of FTTH in achieving Nigeria’s broadband penetration targets while calling for greater public awareness around protecting communications infrastructure.
“This forum is critical because Fibre-to-the-Home is the technology that will enable the country to achieve full broadband penetration. We all depend on communication infrastructure, and it must be protected.”
Drawing a comparison with power infrastructure in the country, he added:
“If somebody comes to your neighbourhood to tamper with your transformer or power cables, everybody will come out. The same thing needs to apply for communications infrastructure. When we see people damaging fibre cables, we should raise an alarm.”
The forum also highlighted successful collaborative initiatives at the state level. Speaking on infrastructure management, Director-General of the Oyo State Infrastructure Management and Control Agency (OYSIMCA), Mr. Adebayo Akande, shared how the agency is addressing fibre theft, vandalism, and promoting shared infrastructure among operators.
He explained that encouraging operators to utilise common pole infrastructure along shared routes would reduce unnecessary duplication, minimise infrastructure damage, improve urban aesthetics, and optimise investment across the sector.
Similarly, Managing Director of the Edo State Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), Mr. Eghosa Urhoghide, advocated stronger collaboration among operators, regulators, government institutions, road maintenance agencies, and host communities.
He emphasised that strict adherence to NCC deployment standards remains essential to ensuring the long-term sustainability and resilience of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Representing ipNX on the panel discussion titled “Policy, Governance and Regulatory Alignment,” Mr. Segun Okuneye, Deputy Director, Strategic Business Initiatives, highlighted the need for stronger collaboration across the telecommunications ecosystem to unlock the full potential of fibre broadband in Nigeria.
According to him, sustainable fibre deployment extends beyond technology and investment to include policy consistency, stakeholder alignment, infrastructure protection, and shared responsibility.
“Achieving universal fibre connectivity requires more than deploying infrastructure, it requires sustained collaboration between operators, regulators, government agencies and host communities.
“When policies are aligned, deployment standards are consistently enforced, and critical infrastructure is protected, we create an environment where investment thrives and more Nigerians can enjoy reliable, high-speed broadband.
“At ipNX, we remain committed to working with all stakeholders to build resilient digital infrastructure that will support Nigeria’s economic growth for generations to come.”
Throughout the discussions, participants agreed that while Nigeria has made considerable progress in broadband expansion, addressing recurring issues such as fibre vandalism, right-of-way challenges, inconsistent deployment practices, infrastructure duplication, and limited public awareness will require stronger partnerships and coordinated industry action.
The forum concluded with a shared commitment among stakeholders to strengthen industry standards, encourage infrastructure sharing, improve policy implementation, and promote greater public appreciation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical national assets deserving of protection.
For ipNX, participation in the ATCON Critical Conversation Forum reinforces our company’s ongoing commitment to supporting industry-wide initiatives that advance broadband penetration, strengthen digital infrastructure, and accelerate Nigeria’s journey towards a more connected and digitally inclusive future.
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