The second and third phases of the N41.6 billion Nigerian Communications Commission’s Broadband Connectivity Initiative have begun to be implemented by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in key national sectors.
This was said by Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, on Thursday in Abuja as he gave the recipients of the honor a letter of recognition.
The intervention was approved by the Federal Executive Council on March 29, 2023, and the minister indicated that the first phase had been carried out to a rate of 80%.
He added that the NCC’s internal revenue sources provided the money for the interventions, and that the second and third phases of the broadband connectivity would serve 49 higher education institutions, 20 airports, and six markets.
Pantami added that there have been 113 interventions about broadband connectivity in all across the nation.
According to him, the first phase has been executed to an average of 80% of institutions; in certain of those institutions, the implementation level has reached 90%. Due of this, I believe Phases 2 and 3 should start right away.
“On March 29, 2023, I attended the Federal Executive Council and delivered a memorandum for the occasion for which we have gathered. The two memos covered six markets, 20 airports, and 49 institutions of higher education. Hence, each message implicitly represents a phase. We are present for phases two and three. We have committed a total of about N41.6 billion for this.
We have plans for 20 airports, six new markets, and 49 educational institutions in the second and third phases, which are already available. In this phase, polytechnic institutions have received priority; in the following phase, colleges of education will receive priority.
“Overall, we can state with confidence that we have 113 interventions from this number,” he continued. You could say that out of the 41.6 billion Naira to be spent as part of our donation to other sectors from our internally generated revenue through the telecommunication sub-sectors, we have made 113 interventions so far at 19 universities in the first one, one college of education, 20 markets, 49 additional institutions of learning, six additional markets, and 20 airports.
The interventions, according to Prof. Adeolu Akande, Chairman of the NCC Board, are intended to diversify the Nigerian economy in line with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
As stated by our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, “It is an initiative conceived by the minister for communications and the digital economy to promote the goal for the diversification of the Nigerian economy.”
