General News
Undersea Cables and Nigeria’s Cloudy Mobile Ecosystem
“Plenty water for Africa…water for ordinary man to drink nko o…e nor dey.”
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the late Afrobeat music legend was apt in his hit track: ‘water nor get enemy’. There is so much water around us in Nigeria, yet there is not a single city in the country that boast of sufficient drinkable water for the citizens.
The Nigeria communications landscape is gradually becoming like the ‘water’ legend with so much bandwidth available, yet it’s easier to board a Lagos-Abuja bound night bus than opening an email account in Lagos.
With the landing of the first private open access undersea cable in June 2010, the expectations were that the days of snail speed internet connection from the unreliable SAT-3 would be over. SAT-3 had served its tenure, but with explosion of communications in Nigeria as a result of the new open market operations, the yearning to have addition infrastructure became loud.
Ms. Funke Opeke, a former executive of Verizon Wireless returned to Nigeria from the United States full of hopes and energy. She worked at MTN Nigeria and later Nitel/Mtel with mindset to turn around the public telecom giant into live. It did not work out, and her next project was MainOne undersea cable. MainOne is a novel idea to get people communicating effectively by providing them with enough bandwidth.
MainOne has initial capacity to deliver 1.92tb/ps of bandwidth and everyone said it has enough capacity to serve Nigeria’s broadband requirements.
Globacom also landed a massive 2.5tb/ps capacity Glo-1 undersea cable, also promising to deliver Nigeria from its epileptic bandwidth challenge. The combination of the two cable systems have more than enough bandwidth capacity to deliver fast internet connectivity…but what do we have, poor services. Just like in the days of SAT-3.
The expected landing of the 5.1Tbps WACS cable system would even give more verve to Nigeria’s bandwidth capacity which some say could lead to glut. But it doesn’t seem so easy.
Bandwidth is outrageously priced in Nigeria. Ms. Opeke had stated at public function that the cost of bandwidth from London (UK) to Lagos was about 10 times cheaper than it cost to carry the same capacity from Lagos to the capital, Abuja in the North of the country.
At the heart of this seemingly intractable debacle is the dearth of transmission infrastructure in Nigeria. The old Nitel infrastructure inherited from the defunct post and telecommunications (P & T) department of the Ministry of Communications are all decayed due to poor maintenance. Nigeria is notorious for its lack of maintenance culture in both public and private institutions.
Nigeria has tried desperately to enter into the digital age, but appears to be going round the circus in what appears an unending trek. There has to be a balance in the digital ecosystem to build a successful digital society.
These would include inculcating the right education to the population from the very early nursery age. But nursery is still elitist in Nigeria where primary school enrolment is far below the United Nations recommendation.
Nigeria’s performance in the 2011 Connectivity Scorecard was quite dreadful – finishing in the same bracket with Bangladesh. Areas of concern raised include weak public institutions and poor literacy level.
“Nigeria scores 1.09 and retains the 23rd position among the resource and efficiency-driven economies on the Connectivity Scorecard 2011 index. With this score, Nigeria continues to rank among the bottom five countries along with India, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh.
“The public sector is another area where Nigeria exhibits poor performance, featuring in the bottom-five of the resource and efficiency-driven economies. Though the infrastructure component is relatively higher, indicating that there may be online services available, Nigeria suffers from gross inefficient utilization. This can be attributed to either a lack of resources or unaffordability that most Nigerians face, thus bringing down its score on this metric. The country also posts a relatively lower literacy rate of around 70 per cent.”
Building a successful digital fibre ring to carry the glut of bandwidth in the shores of Lagos would require a concerted effort by both the public and private sectors to finance. The private sector has already taken the lead in this regard by landing these fibres, the government would have to do its beat by either providing grants or guaranteeing long tenure bank facilities to these private investors to take the next step forward.
Camille Mendler, blogger with Informa notes that “being a successful digital society still means keeping a delicate ecosystem in balance. That ecosystem includes many elements – and it’s not just submarine cables. Terrestrial fiber, spectrum, Internet exchange points and datacenters are among the telecom assets also required. But that is certainly not all. Affordable devices, ICT literacy and investment, rule of law and many other factors are highly relevant.”
Nigeria would also need to bring down mobile TCO (total cost of ownership) down considerably if it must remain competitive. At present Nigeria’s TCO is valued at about $10 per subscriber per month which three times more than in Kenya. Despite the huge market potentials here, more ICT firms are finding it easier to domicile their African hub either in South Africa or Kenya – Nigeria hardly comes to the picture.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting indigenous technology operators, dismissing allegations that it encouraged the deployment of fake locally made personal computers.
Responding to accusations from the Certified Computer Manufacturers of Nigeria (CCMON) regarding the alleged spread of counterfeit locally produced PCs, NITDA stressed that it limits government IT contract registration to firms with at least 51 percent Nigerian ownership.
The agency stressed that it aligns with the Federal Executive Council–approved “Renewed Hope Nigeria First Policy” of May 2025, which prioritises Nigerian-made goods and mandates foreign procurements only when no local alternative exists.
NITDA said it is also investing in talent development through its Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), supporting startups, SMEs, and training public servants to meet global standards.
Addressing the “SpeedStar PC saga,” NITDA clarified that the project in question dates back to 2019, and any hardware faults after six years of use cannot be attributed to the agency.
Meanwhile, Beta Computers makers of the SpeedStar PC and a founding member of CCMON has petitioned the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy over the alleged deployment of counterfeit SpeedStar units by NITDA contractors.
In an April 3, 2025 petition, Will Anyaegbunam, managing director, Beta Computers’ accused certain contractors of sabotaging presidential directives on patronising locally made computers.
He claimed that despite repeated requests since August 2024, NITDA has refused to reveal the identity of the contractor linked to counterfeit SpeedStars supplied to an institution in northern Nigeria.
Anyaegbunam further alleged possible collusion within the agency and vowed to pursue legal action to protect the brand’s equity, which has been trademarked since 1996.
Beta Computers has also filed a Freedom of Information request to obtain the names of all contractors who supplied SpeedStar PCs to Gombe State University and other institutions since 2019.
Airtel Nigeria has taken another bold step in its digital transformation and quality of service drive with the launch of Airtel Assist, a WhatsApp-based self-service chatbot designed to offer real-time support to millions of the network’s customers.
Built to meet the growing needs of today’s digital consumer, Airtel Assist provides round the clock full-service experience that allows customers to check balances, buy airtime or data, make secure payments, troubleshoot issues, and access personalised assistance all from the convenience of WhatsApp.
At the core of this innovation is Airtel Nigeria’s commitment to putting people first, ensuring customer experiences are faster, more intuitive, and deeply personalised.
Speaking on the launch, Airtel Nigeria CEO, Dinesh Balsingh, said, “This is Airtel meeting Nigerians exactly where they are, on platforms they trust and use every day.
With Airtel Assist, we are adapting technology at the personal level. It’s fast, secure, and always available, designed to serve real people with real needs, in real time. As a company with a constant focus on customer satisfaction, this is one of the ways we make customer care more accessible.”
The new chatbot highlights Airtel’s continued integration of AI-powered tools to scale service delivery, reduce wait times, and maintain secure customer interactions, solidifying its position as a customer-first, innovation-led brand in Nigeria’s telecom landscape.
It also demonstrates the company’s clear ambition to lead innovation in Nigeria’s telecom sector by adopting tools that are secure, scalable, and inclusive.
To emphasize this perspective, Ismail Adeshina, Director of Marketing at Airtel Nigeria, noted that Airtel Assist was developed with both convenience and empathy in mind.
Ismail said, “Everything about Airtel Assist is designed to simplify and enhance the way our customers engage with us. Whether it’s to check data balance in the middle of a conversation, buying data while commuting, or resolving issues after hours, Airtel Assist is always available, right there on their phones.”
Meanwhile, the product’s intuitive design and ease of use is a demonstration of adaptive technology, adapted for the nuances of local consumers, added Oyebowale Akideinde, Head of Digital Products & Innovation.
“With Airtel Assist, we’re unlocking a human way to connect on one of Nigeria’s favourite digital platforms: WhatsApp! You can now recharge, check balances, and get help instantly,” he said. He also noted that all Airtel subscribers may activate Airtel Assist by sending a WhatsApp message to +2348028800000 or clicking https://wa.me/2348028800000.
By bridging the gap between digital sophistication and everyday convenience, Airtel Nigeria is setting a new benchmark in customer care, one that puts the power of self-service, choice, and real-time resolution into the hands of every user.
Reported cyber attack on the Information Communication Technology (ICT) platform of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has caused significant disruptions to cargo clearance operations at ports across the country.
Licensed Customs agents are already counting their losses to demurrage charges on their consignments as a result of the disruption.
Confirming the development, Mr. Maiwada Abdullahi, spokesman and assistant comptroller of Customs, told Vanguard that the attack occurred sometime ago, adding however, that the system has been restored.
He stated: “Yes, our platform was attacked some time ago, but it has been rectified and is now fully operational. We have strengthened our systems to ensure that cybercriminals will find it much more difficult to penetrate in the future.”
Regarding potential compensation, Abdullahi disclosed that discussions are ongoing with several stakeholders on the matter and hinted at possible relief measures for importers whose goods were delayed during the system outage.
Reacting to the development, Mr. Lucky Amiwero, president, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, (NCMDLCA), said that there is a default in the new B’Odogwu home grown ICT platform being promoted by the Customs.
Amiwero also said that the same glitch being experienced also occurred before the B’Odogwu initiative.
He, however, lampooned the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, (NACCIMA), for their docile stand against happenings at the Port.
He stated: “The government needs to overhaul the newly introduced B’Odogwu ICT platform, there are defects that needs to be corrected.
“The same defects that was experienced during the era of West Blue before Ngozi Okonjo Eweala who was the Finance Minister at that time intervened, is the same issue currently affecting the B’Odogwu system.
“The glitch has resulted to huge demurrage, huge storage charges, distortion in business plan and high cost of clearance.
“Manufacturers Association, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) are all there doing nothing. They cannot even react to the situation. All they do is to hold conferences.
“These groups ought to be at the Vanguard of protest against these anomalies rocking the port industry but they chose to keep quiet as if all is well.”
Similarly, Mr. Olawale Odu, an importer and licensed Customs agent, said that the government through the Nigeria Customs Service should engage terminal operators and shipping companies to find a way to assuage the losses to importers by granting them waivers.
NITDA Reacts as Firm Petitions over Deployment of Fake PCs
Airtel Nigeria Launches ‘Airtel Assist’ on WhatsApp
Cyber Attack Hits Customs Platform, Disrupts Clearance Operations
ATU, AFRINIC Urge Governments, Regulators to Develop Internet Resilience Framework
NDPC, Bauchi State Partner to Boost Data Governance
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