Gom Mirian
Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has said Nigeria will need an estimated sum of 2 billion dollars to lay fibre optic cables across the nation’s expansive landscape.
Speaking on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Politics Today, Tijani shed light on Nigeria’s commitment to embracing advanced technology, declaring that the Fifth-Generation (5G) network already exists within the country’s borders.
According to Tijani, the government is working on increasing the length of fibre optic cables in the country from the current 35 to 40 kilometres to a goal of 95,000 km.
He said: “We are about 35 to 40 kilometres right now and the goal is to go to 95,000 km. It’s going to cost us roughly about $1.5bn to $2bn to wire the entire Nigeria.
“The infrastructure that drives 5G is not something that is across the nation.
“So, if you subscribe to 5G and you move into locations where the infrastructure cannot support it, of course, the quality will drop. 5G exists in Nigeria and there are telecoms with the licence,” the minister added.
He expressed optimism about wiring Nigeria during the first four years of Tinubu’s administration under his watch, saying the plan aims to connect schools, hospitals, government offices, and other essential locations with fibre cables.
He stated: “Because once we can do this, we start to see changes in the delivery of public services.”
