The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have agreed to collaborate on ways to enhance broadband connectivity and safeguard critical national information infrastructure (CNII) across the 36 states.
This was revealed during a visit to the secretariat of the NGF in Abuja by a delegation from the NCC, led by its Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Aminu Maida.
The delegation was received by the Director General of the NGF, Mr. Abdulateef Shittu, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by NGF’s spokesman, Yunusa Abdullahi.
The statement said Maida commended the NGF for its willingness to collaborate with his organisation and praised its willingness to engage with the NCC, which he noted “reflects a shared belief in the impact digital solutions can have on subnational development.”
Maids emphasised the critical need for alignment between national and subnational digital infrastructure, describing it as a “game changer” for Nigeria’s digital economy.
He dwelt on the current challenge relating to the Right of Way (RoW) fees, currently set at N145 per linear meter, which the NCC boss described as a significant burden on telecom companies.
Maida urged states to waive or reduce these fees to facilitate fibre optic deployment, stating, “The Right of Way is a critical element in opening up the digital economy, and this lies within the purview of the states.”
The statement quoted the NGF’s DG as highlighting the centrality of broadband and secure infrastructure to state development.
Shittu was further quoted as saying: “Broadband and secure information infrastructure are no longer optional inputs to development. They are foundational public goods.”
He noted that while Nigeria has seen rapid growth in connectivity, national broadband penetration remains below the level needed for inclusive digital transformation.
The NGF’s DG proposed four pragmatic areas for deepened partnership with the NCC – institutional alignment through State Broadband Coordinating Councils, policy harmonisation to standardise RoW rules, CNII resilience through state-level protection plans, and information sharing to enhance capacity building.
The DG pointed to the World Bank’s SABER initiative as a model for success, citing states that have harmonised RoW fees, adopted coordinated trenching practices, and waived onerous fees to attract private investment.
He added, “These policy choices have produced rapid increases in fibre kilometres and improved access to high-capacity networks,” he said, highlighting the socio-economic benefits, including improved productivity, job creation, and expanded access to education and health services.
Both leaders emphasised the economic potential of enhanced connectivity. Dr. Maida noted that easing RoW barriers would enable telecom companies to create more value chains, benefiting citizens and increasing tax revenues for states.
Mr. Shittu reinforced this, stating: “Expanded fibre coverage raises productivity, supports job creation, broadens access to education and health services, and enlarges the taxable base available to state governments.”
The NGF proposed leveraging the upcoming NCC Business Roundtable to convert commitments into concrete state-level pledges. “I further propose that the NGF and the NCC jointly convene a series of follow-up workshops to translate best practices from leading states into implementable toolkits for lagging ones,” the DG noted, advocating for measurable targets and clear timelines.
