BusinessDay 19 Dec 2017

8 BUSINESS DAY C002D5556
NEWS
FG targets 50% broadband penetration by 2020
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
Federal Government
on Monday
unveiled plans to
deepen broadband
telecommunication
service in Nigeria, from 30
percent in 2018 and 50 percent
by year 2020, in tandem
with the Economic Recovery
Growth Plan (EGRP).
Currently, the country’s
has achieved 20.95 percent
broadband internet penetration
and 93.5 million subscribers
as of August 2016.
According to the National
Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) report,
Nigeria’s telecom sector
contributed N1.452 trillion or
9.16 percent to the country’s
GDP as of Q1 2017, though
lower than Q4 2016 contribution
of N1.663 trillion; N1.399
trillion in Q3 2017; N1.589 trillion
in Q2 2016 and N1.412
trillion in Q1 2016, respectively.
As part of its policy, plans
are also underway to build
metro fibre network in all
major cities and state capital,
extend international cable
landing points to other coastal
states, spread 3G/LTE to at
least 80 percent of the popu-
$1bn to fight Boko Haram: Wike demands special fund for Niger
Delta, calls for derivation component of Excess Crude Account
IGNATIUS CHUKWU
Governor Nyesom
Wike of Rivers
State says the
Federal Government
must as a matter of
urgency release funds to
tackling issues of environmental
degradation and
security in the Niger Delta.
The governor said while
he would not condemn
the release of $1 billion to
tackle Boko Haram, the
environmental and security
challenges in the Niger
Delta far outweighed the
Boko Haram conflict.
The governor spoke during
the annual general meeting
of Okpo Club of Nigeria
(Association of Ikwerre Lawyers)
on Saturday in Port
Harcourt where he requested
the FG to release the derivation
component of the Excess
Crude to the oil producing
states of the Niger Delta.
He said: “Niger Delta
Ambode tasks journalists on professionalism
JOSHUA BASSEY
Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode of Lagos
State has urged
journalists to always
strive to promote professionalism,
and assured of his administration’s
continued support
for journalists in the state
to excel in their practice.
Ambode has also revealed
plans to upgrade five information
centres across the
state to ensure prompt information
dissemination.
He spoke, Friday, at the
formal opening of the upgraded
Bagulda Kaltho Press
Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, aimed at
lation, noting that “Nigeria
does not have 4G/LTE despite
claims by some telecom operators,”
Lawal Bello of Communications
Research Group
from Department of Electrical
Engineering, Bayero University,
Kano, said.
According to Bello, total
optic fibre backbone infrastructure
laid cross the country,
which currently stands at
37,104, is inadequate.
Speaking earlier, Saheed
Akinade-Fijabi, chairman,
House Committee on
Telecommunication, who
spoke at a day retreat with
the theme: ‘Improving the
socio-economic development
of the nation through
environmental problems
are as serious as the Boko
Haram insurgency. I am
not saying that you should
not fight Boko Haram. If
you can get funds from the
national pool to tackle Boko
Haram, then you should go
to the pool to get funds to
fight environmental problems
in Ogoni and other Niger
Delta communities.”
Some northern critics often
recall that the Niger Delta
region alone has 13 percent
derivation from oil that
fetches more than normal
FAAC allocation. The region
has a ministry (Niger Delta)
dedicated to it alone, has the
Niger Delta Development
Commission to cater for its
development.
The United Nations asked
Shell to deposit $1 billion
to clean up Ogoni land, but
many say it is not enough
to clean up the larger Niger
Delta region. The NLNG is
putting down N60 billion to
enhancing the performance
of the over 44 journalists deployed
to cover the activities
of the state government, from
different media houses.
The governor said the
upgrade was also part of
government’s strategy to ensure
that the state reflected
its megacity status as Africa
modern megacity, while reducing
the challenges confronted
by journalist in accessing
information.
Represented by Rotimi
Ogunleye, commissioner
for commerce, industry and
cooperatives, Ambode said:
“We will continue to make
the environment conducive
qualitative telecommunication
services,’ reiterated the
Committee’s resolve towards
enacting relevant laws that
would help in boosting telecoms
infrastructure in the
country.
“The importance of telecommunication
in any economy
is self-evident, either in
a developed or developing
one, as there exists an interwoven
relationship between
the economic development
of a country and effective telecommunication
services. This
establishes the assertion that
most developed nations have
the more developed telecommunications
infrastructures
and services.
build a road to Bonny Island,
if the Federal Government
can put its own N60 billion
down first; yet, it has been a
long-abandoned project.
Commenting on politics
in Rivers State, Governor
Wike urged all ethnic nationalities
to work together to fast
track development in the
state, saying, “no ethnic nationality
in the state can succeed
without others, hence
the need for greater cooperation
at all levels.’
The governor also called
on the people to always
work for relevance in the
political terrain of the country,
as that was the state can
attract development.
At a ally for the governor,
former NBA president,
Onueze C.J Okocha, commended
Wike for his commitment
to the development
of the state, and assured him
of the support of Ikwerre
lawyers as he worked for the
people of the state.
for journalist to practice
their profession without any
hindrance. This is because
we believe that the media
must operate in a conducive
environment in order to
have accurate reports.”
He noted that for any
nation to achieve development,
the media must be
provided with a conducive
environment and prompt
information that would assist
them in reportage.
Explaining the importance
of media to Lagos development,
the governor pointed
out that the media and government
to rely on each other
for information.
Tuesday 19 December 2017