Telecom stakeholders finger state governments as obstacle to FG’s 90,000km fibre project

Stakeholders in the telecommunications industry have expressed concerns that the Federal Government’s plan to deploy 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables across Nigeria will face significant obstacles, particularly from state governments. These issues, if not addressed, could hinder the project’s success.

During the Sixth Edition of the Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFO) in Lagos on Wednesday, stakeholders highlighted that issues such as Right of Way (RoW) charges, multiple taxation, and levies controlled by state governments could render the project, to be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), ineffective. They pointed to the failed InfraCo project by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as a potential outcome if these challenges are not resolved.

Addressing the obstacles:

Presenting a paper on the topic, ‘Harmonizing Nigeria’s Fibre Deployment Strategies for Effective Implementation,’ Executive Director of Broadbased Communications, Mr. Chidi Ibisi, emphasized that while the government’s SPV initiative is a commendable plan to bridge the digital infrastructure gap, current challenges must be addressed.

“The issues of high cost of Right of Way (RoW), destruction of fiber by road construction companies, and vandalism all need to be addressed for this new SPV initiative to be successful,” he said.

Highlighting additional challenges, Group Chief Operating Officer of WTES Projects Limited, Mr. Chidi Ajuzie, identified informal RoW charges by local hoodlums as a significant hurdle.

“For states, a formal right of way is set, and some states are adopting it, but the informal side of the right of way is where the complexity arises today,” he said. “If I’m trying to lay fiber in some communities here in Lagos, the so-called landowners (omo onile) come out, and different sets of people keep coming from one street to another, charging you. How do we achieve adequate broadband infrastructure in this kind of situation?”

Role of state governments:

According to the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, state governments need to take ownership for the 90,000-kilometer fiber project to succeed.

“For the project to succeed, I think the governments at sub-nationals should take ownership. This issue of state governments seeing right of way as IGR should be a thing of the past. We can’t talk about the digital economy on one side, and the government is seeing those who provide the services as sources of revenue,” he said.

Adebayo criticized the inconsistency between policies and implementation. “Governors will go to Abuja and say ‘in my state, I will give right of way free of charge.’ When you go to such state, they may give you right of way for zero or one Naira, but they will impose developmental levies, education levies, state impact levies, ecosystem levies. When you add all of these together, it is more than the right of way charges. So, who is playing who?” he questioned.

Opening Address:

Earlier, in his opening address, the convener of PIAFO, Mr. Omobayo Azeez, stated that the conference aims to create a dialogue platform for digital economy stakeholders across both public and private sectors. The goal is to brainstorm, exchange perspectives, clear grey areas, harmonize thoughts, and create a sense of collective responsibility towards accelerating collective prosperity through technical efficiency.

What you should know:

The Federal Government recently launched a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to deliver an additional 90,000km of fiber optic cable to enhance existing connectivity for universal internet access across Nigeria. According to the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, the SPV, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders from the government and private sector, aims to increase Nigeria’s connectivity backbone to a minimum of 125,000km from the current 35,000km.