Bosun Tijani, the minister of communications, innovation, and digital economy, has denied any instructions for telecommunication operators to disrupt network services during the recent protests.
On Thursday, Nigerians reported experiencing poor internet connectivity across all service providers, leading many to believe it was a tactic by the federal government to stifle the protesters. However, Tijani categorically denied the government’s involvement in the network disruptions.
“There’s no instruction to tamper with the network, absolutely no instruction from my office,” Tijani stated. He explained that the high volume of online activity, as many people were not at work, could contribute to the network issues. “You also need to understand when you have a significant amount of people not at work, people are online. So you expect the traffic will be extremely high. And I’m not saying that’s the cause,” he added.
The minister emphasised that the government’s role is not only to ensure responsiveness from service providers but also to drive investments in the necessary infrastructure to provide quality service. He highlighted a significant lag in Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, noting that the country needs 125,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable but has only invested in 85,000 kilometers so far.
“We need 125,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable lead. We’ve only invested as a nation, the private sector, 85,000 kilometres.
“This is the project that this government is prioritising. FEC has already approved this. Unfortunately, it won’t be done in six months,” Tijani said, indicating that the government is working to improve the telecommunications and connectivity services in Nigeria.
Melissa Enoch
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