General News
Zero Downtime is Possible – Omoniyi
Abiodun Omoniyi is the managing director of VDT Communications, a corporate telecommunications company. Omoniyi studied Electrical Electronics Engineering with Communication and Computer Option. He started his foray into entrepreneurship with the sales and maintenance of hardware computers and from there moved on to networking computers, which later gave birth to VDT Communications. Omoniyi spoke to chike onwuegbuchi and funmi ilesanmi
Wireless Backhaul
I wouldn’t say we are just a wireless backhaul provider, our services encompasses proving access into the central communication infrastructure which we manage. One of the means of granting access happens to be through wireless. VDT prides itself as a broadband communication company but for us to be properly called a broadband communication company, we need to provide access into the broadband infrastructure. One of the ways by which we provide access into this broadband infrastructure is using wireless. That was how we got to win the wireless backhaul provider of the year.
Subscription to MainOne Service
We are all aware that MainOne has landed and services are being sold on it now. We are glad to welcome MainOne but I must say that we are one of those who first supported the idea of the submarine that MainOne was promoting then. I remember we are also part investor in the scheme so that we could all have alternative cable. If you are familiar with SAT -3, it is also a submarine cable. So how would this enhance our services? Like I mentioned, the services we provide are mainly corporate communication services and this could be point to point within a metro city or an inter-city communication service. MainOne cable brings in a third dimension to the line of services that we provide and that brings internet into our infrastructure. MainOne cable landed at the shores of Nigeria so this needs to be brought to the inter-land. If MainOne landed at the Bar Beach for instance, how would you move it to Ikeja, how would you take it to Ibadan and Kano? Obviously, you will see the inter-play of our infrastructure in there. Before now, we had the metro service which we use in interconnecting our customers and we have these infrastructure built out in every city where we have presence. If we immediately partnered with MainOne, it means that we will take MainOne from the shores of Lagos and from there distribute it inland to our different customers. This is how the MainOne service complements what we are currently offering and of course this is a good investment for us because it further deepens our service offering.
Challenges
You know the environment is quite challenging and we all are aware of it. It is not just vandalization, it is a whole gamut of issues that we have but as a service provider, we need to be focused. Our customers are patronizing us because they know we would be able to deliver this service irrespective of the challenges. Though challenges exist, if we are mission focused, this should not be a deterrent. Yes, there are cable cuts but it is not only fibre cable that moves the traffic to its destination; there are other alternatives that can be used. We use fibre a lot especially for our inter-city operation, we have some fibre cable infrastructure laid in Lagos and in some parts of Abuja but in other cities, we use wireless to grant access into our main infrastructure, majority of which are leased from major carriers.
Nature of Relationship with Partners
Triangle is a major wireless backhaul equipment supplier. I would say that we are its customer and if you made a customer a partner, that means you are taking him to the next level. Triangle has introduced and deployed a number of its equipment in our infrastructure both at the access level and also at the backhaul level to different customers. Triangle is a leading company that offers various equipment that allow high bandwidth to be transmitted wirelessly. We are also into partnership with other wireless equipment manufacturers as well but we found out that Triangle does the backhaul a lot better than most and when we talk of real microwave backhaul on the licensed band, Triangle is actually the force to reckon with. Yes, we have other equipment manufacturers that we use for the distribution network, we have Apertio Network, Transio Broadband and we also have Accelera but we reserve the space for carrying the backhaul for Triangle and its equipment has been qualitative and has allowed us achieve the quality aim that we won an award for.
Customer Interactive Forum
We wanted to interact with our customers, we wanted to appreciate them, we wanted to update them on developments within our company; the changing landscape, the changing services and the unique way by which we want to continue to provide it. Generally, the Customer Forum was interactive and we also wanted to get some feedbacks from customers so that we would be able to know how to improve on our service delivery to them. Given the success of what has happened, it was of immense benefits, all our customers turned out in large quantity and we are actually thinking of making it a quarterly affair. It is not going to be yearly, it is not going to be a one-off thing, we truly enjoyed it, we enjoyed the camaraderie and also the learning point that each of us was able to take out of it.
Possibility of Zero Downtime in IP Communication in Nigeria
One of the things we need to realize is that nothing is impossible if one sets his mind to achieving it and we may then start talking of it been very costly. Is it possible or impossible to have constant power supply in Nigeria for one year without the power going down? If our government can put their mind to it, this is possible. In the case of Nitel, there are several things happening now that we thought were impossible then. If you listened to the guest speaker, Mr. Dare Adeyemi, he said for them, they would take nothing less than having a zero downtime at GT Bank. We are looking at delivering service such that the customer communication link does not go down. This means you have to provide alternative routes. One link may go down but you need to switch to another route. If that route also went down the same time as the primary route goes down, then you need to provide a tertiary route. What are the things that could cause these downtimes? One of it is power, if you knew it is power then you need to make sure your generator is always on, you need to provide alternative power supply and also backups. These are things providers need to put their minds to and they need to do to be able to achieve zero downtime. In VDT, it is not just a slogan, it is something that we do, it is something that is more like a creed for us to provide zero downtime in our infrastructure. We may now start talking about individual customers. We also want to understand why they are experiencing that downtime and be able to make it a point that is not due to our own doing but simply due to what the customer understands. Of course, we may not be able to come in to power the customer’s infrastructure. If the customers has a generator problem, there may be a downtime, if the customer has environmental issues that goes against the specification by which our equipment can operate smoothly, there also may be a down but this would be isolated cases at the edges.
Yes, we can achieve zero downtime in our core IP infrastructure. For two months running, I would say we have achieved that in our core infrastructure so how do we take it to the edge? To the edge, we’ve also started taking a clue. We have put a process in place and we also have three areas of backups at each of our hubs and then at the access layer. The access layer is the customer’s end of the equipment. If this happens, the customer also knows because we do have a review session with our customers and then we are able to tell them what to do because the whole system needs to come up and that was what the whole Customer Forum tried to achieve.
Awards
I can only say the award was a call to service. I would also say is it a form of recognition and a call for rededication for us to take it to the next level of our service.
Unified Communication in IP Communication
IP Communication is enveloping everything right now. Before now, there was the traditional TDM side of the infrastructure but now some of those are also gradually changing to packets. So if you are changing to packets, nobody would want to stand still because if everything is packetised, the whole system would be more efficient. To this end, that is to me what IP communication is about as this is driven by data centric approach. Going on to unified communication, this is another service that rides on the IP infrastructure. If we have an IP infrastructure that is embedded in our MPLS core right now, it would provide unified communication services to our customers. Essentially, unified communication is bringing your phone, your email, your video together on either an infrastructure or on a device. That is actually happening today but what we are concerned about is building an infrastructure that would be amendable to such services in future. We have a number of our customers that are doing these different things in a disparage way, some do it singularly while some talk on our network across their branches while some use it for video conferencing. Unified communication brings these things together and we are thinking of leaving this in the hands of integrators so that they can offer these services to customers.
Support
In terms of support, we are very close to the customers. We know that we do not have too many of them because we are not really into the retail business. We service corporate organizations and we have dedicated people in every city. In some mega cities like Lagos, we have different service groups that offer support to customers. This is one of the things we have been able to do. We also have a central system that monitors how fast our technicians are able to deliver support in relation to our service level agreement to different customers. We have a number of processes and we have the capacity to support our customers. In terms of support, we have dedicated people who are very close to the customers and we do offer support.
Future of VDT
This technological landscape changes so fast and it’s quite dynamic. One of the things we want to do in the next five years is for VDT to be a recognized name in the corporate communication sub-sector of the communication industry as providing the best service. By that, we would by the grace of God be present in the 36 states of the federation. Right now, we are in 16 of those states so we would be present in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria and we would be a recognized name known for quality of service.
MTN Nigeria, in partnership with Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), marked a significant milestone in advancing Africa’s media landscape with the graduation of 20 Fellows from the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP) Cohort 4 held at the Lagos Business School.
MTN
The ceremony celebrated excellence, resilience and forward-thinking storytelling, while also announcing the programme’s expansion into a Pan-African edition beginning next year.
The six-month programme, known for its rigorous coursework, demanding schedule and strong emphasis on critical thinking, included an international study visit to South Africa that broadened participants’ understanding of media innovation across the continent.
The graduation event acknowledged the Fellows’ commitment to completing the intensive journey while strengthening their capacity to influence the future of African media.
Dr. Ikechukwu Obiaya, Dean of the School of Media and Communications, PAU, commended the Fellows for their persistence throughout the programme. “In some moments, it was pretty grueling for some of you, but you made it. You are here, and I congratulate you,” he said.
“He encouraged them to see the graduation as a new beginning, adding, “We have so much to do, and each one of us is best positioned now to make that transformation.”
Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria, congratulated the cohort on successfully completing the six-month programme and reaffirmed MTN’s long-term vision for the initiative.
He said, “Congratulations on completing this journey. You are joining a network of professionals who are committed to elevating the media landscape in Nigeria and beyond.
“The future of this programme depends on your impact. This cohort represents the outcome we envisioned when the journey began. Today, the programme is not only thriving but also expanding.”
He further announced that the Pan-African edition of the programme will be launched in 2026, providing media professionals across the continent with the same level of immersive training and unique exposure experienced by the Fellows.
A key highlight of the event was MTN Nigeria’s presentation of ₦2.5 million in cash prizes to Fellows whose projects demonstrated exceptional innovation, depth of research and alignment with the programme’s ethos of impactful storytelling. The awards were presented by Chineze Gbenga-Oluwatoye, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, MTN Nigeria, and Odunayo Sanya, Executive Director, MTN Foundation.
Vanessa Ukamaka Richard Bassey, Head of Programmes, Sparkling 92.3 FM, Calabar, emerged as the top winner, receiving ₦1 million for the MTN Foundation Chairman Award for Innovative Reportage and another ₦1 million for the MTN Chairman’s Prize for Innovation. Sharing her experience, she said, “It’s been a training ground. It has opened me up to new things and made me more confident. There’s something about knowledge and information and exposure to your mind and to your esteem. After today, I know there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Abolaji Adebayo received ₦500,000 for the MIP Cohort 4 Best Report, recognised for its clarity, depth and relevance to national discourse.
Several Fellows shared how the programme has reshaped their careers. Adekeye Ayobami of Abamimigo FM described the programme as arriving at the perfect moment, aligning with his recent career elevation.
Ubani Amarachi of Channels TV highlighted the value of the South Africa trip, noting that it transformed her approach to telling African stories and reinforced her belief that graduation marks the beginning of greater responsibility and impact.
The graduation of the MIP Cohort 4 Fellows, coupled with the announcement of the Pan-African edition, reinforces MTN Nigeria’s long-standing commitment to strengthening the media ecosystem through education, exposure and innovation.
The partnership between MTN Nigeria and Pan-Atlantic University continues to serve as a catalyst for developing media professionals equipped to shape narratives, advance societal progress and drive meaningful change across Africa.
General News
FirstCap Acts as Joint Issuing House on Veritasi Homes & Properties Plc’s ₦30 Billion Bond Programme
FirstCap Limited, a premier investment banking business and a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstHoldCo Plc, acted as Joint Issuing House and Placing Agent on the Veritasi Homes & Properties Plc’s Series 1 Bond of ₦10 billion under its ₦30 billion Bond Programme duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The Bond Programme is designed to support the development of Project Oyster Towers, located within Eko Atlantic City. Proceeds from the Series 1 Bond issuance are expected to be applied towards the construction of 30 luxury residential units, forming part of an 82-unit residential development comprising one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments.
Veritasi Homes & Properties Plc is an indigenous real estate development company with operations across Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and a growing track record in the delivery of residential real estate projects in Nigeria.
Commenting on the transaction, Ukandu E. Ukandu, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FirstCap Limited, stated:
“We are proud to partner with Veritasi Homes & Properties Plc on this important transaction. The establishment of the ₦30 billion Bond Programme reflects our commitment to mobilising capital for the real estate sector, which remains a key driver of Nigeria’s economic growth. Project Oyster Towers exemplifies the future of luxury and sustainable living in Nigeria, and this transaction reinforces FirstCap’s role as a trusted advisor in major corporate finance initiatives.”
FirstCap’s involvement in the Bond Programme further reinforces our dedication to supporting the growth of the Nigeria’s real estate sector. The successful execution of this transaction highlights the depth of expertise within our capital markets team and our role in supporting issuers in accessing long-term funding solutions aligned with their strategic objectives.
By continuing to connect capital providers with high-impact infrastructure projects such as Project Oyster Towers, we remain committed to driving economic development and delivering long-term value for all stakeholders, Ukandu added.
Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has called for a fundamental shift in Kano State’s economic strategy, urging stakeholders to embrace innovation, technology and collaboration as the drivers of growth in the 21st century.
Speaking at the Kano Startup Weekend, Inuwa acknowledge Kano’s long-standing reputation as the commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria and the wider Sahelian region, noting that its history of trade, enterprise and human capital provides a solid foundation for future growth.
He emphasised that while these strengths powered Kano’s success for centuries, the modern economy now offers even greater opportunities through innovation and technology.
He described innovation as the process of transforming ideas into impactful solutions through commercialization, stressing that when ideas are effectively deployed, they create value, solve societal challenges and generate sustainable economic growth. He noted that Kano’s large market, strategic location and vibrant entrepreneurial culture place it in a strong position to take advantage of innovation-driven opportunities.
According to him, “Innovation is the process of taking an idea from inception to impact. Invention on its own is a cost centre, but when you commercialise an idea, when you turn it into a product or service that solves a real problem and creates value, that is when you begin to drive economic growth and inclusion.”
He noted that the state hosts numerous degree-awarding institutions across federal, state and private ownership, providing a strong base for human capital development. However, he expressed concern that these institutions often operate in isolation from industry, with research outputs rarely translating into commercial or industrial applications.
He explained that innovation does not happen in silos and stressed the need for a strong, interconnected ecosystem that brings together academia, industry, startups, entrepreneurs and government.
According to him, universities should conduct research informed by industry needs, industries should leverage research to improve productivity and competitiveness, and startups should serve as the bridge that converts ideas into market-ready solutions.
He further encouraged entrepreneurs to leverage technology to build businesses that can grow beyond local markets, explaining that innovation-driven enterprises have the power to scale rapidly, create jobs and position Kano competitively at both national and global levels. According to him, digital platforms and emerging technologies now make it easier for startups to reach wider markets and develop solutions that were previously unimaginable.
“You can start your business here in Kano, but your thinking must be global from day one. Technology has removed barriers. With the right skills and platforms, a startup in Kano can build solutions that serve not just Nigeria, but the world,” he noted.
Highlighting NITDA’s ongoing interventions, the Director General outlined the Agency’s commitment to building national innovation capacity through targeted human capital development programmes. He cited the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) initiative, which aims to equip Nigerians across all segments of society with essential digital skills, and the 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) programme, designed to produce a pipeline of globally competitive technical professionals in areas such as software development, data analysis and emerging technologies.
He said, “Through DL4ALL, we are ensuring that Nigerians at all levels have the basic digital skills needed to participate in the digital economy, while 3MTT is deliberately building a pipeline of globally competitive technical talents who can drive innovation, create jobs and attract investment.”
He explained that these programmes are key pillars of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises skills development, innovation, job creation and inclusive economic growth as pathways to national prosperity. According to him, empowering Nigerians with digital and technical skills is essential for building a resilient economy capable of competing in the global digital landscape.
“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is about investing in people, empowering them with relevant skills and creating opportunities for inclusive growth. At NITDA, we are using digital skills and innovation as tools to translate that vision into real economic impact for Nigerians,” he said.
Inuwa urged all stakeholders in Kano to work together to build a functional innovation ecosystem that can unlock the state’s vast potential. He expressed confidence that with the right mindset, strong collaboration and sustained investment in digital skills and innovation, Kano can reclaim its historic leadership role and emerge as a major innovation and entrepreneurship hub in Nigeria and beyond.
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