The Federal Government has announced plans to deploy 3,700 telecommunications towers to provide network access to nearly 20 million Nigerians currently without connectivity.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project (NUCAP) on Friday during the commissioning of its first site in Bende Local Government Area, Abia State.
The minister said on his X that the project would extend connectivity to communities that have remained without network coverage, with more site launches planned n the coming days, weeks and months.
He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that people in underserved communities could access opportunities that depend on reliable telecommunications services.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given us a clear mandate: work towards bringing every Nigerian online. Through NUCAP, we are delivering 3,700 telecommunications towers across Nigeria. Today, we are commissioning the first of these sites here. More will follow across the country in the coming days, weeks and months”, he said.
The minister said the project was designed to bridge the digital divide and ensure that geographical location did not prevent Nigerians from accessing opportunities.
According to him, rural farmers should be able to contact buyers without struggling to find network signals, while traders should not lose sales because customers cannot make electronic transfers.
He said families should be able to contact loved ones and seek emergency assistance without the difficulties associated with poor network coverage.
“Imagine going a whole days without a phone, you can’t receive a payment, and if someone needs urgent help, you cannot make a call”, Tijani said.
The minister urged residents to see the telecommunications tower as an investment whose benefit would extend beyond immediate connectivity to education, commerce, skills acquisition and improved social interaction.
-9News Nigeria.
