114 communities don’t have GSM signals in Nigeria — CITAD

By MUHAMMAD SABIU, Kaduna

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has said 114 communities in Nigeria have either weak or lack internet connectivity.

It also disclosed that 100 million Nigerians do not have access to internet services.

These were revealed by the Executive Director of the centre, Yunusa Zakari Yau, who addressed newsmen in Kaduna on Wednesday.

To this end, he called on the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Ibrahim Pantami to set up a mechanism for the National Policy for the Development of Community Networks.

According to him, the issue of excluding some communities is not peculiar to Nigeria alone but insisted that countries like Kenya, South Africa, Mexico who have similar problem have since addressed their problems.

“Community networks have failed to take roots in Nigeria because we do not have a national policy to guide their emergence and provide a supportive environment for communities to leverage various opportunities to bridge the connectivity gaps in their community.”

On why it has become necessary to do so, Yau noted that at present, there are 114 communities where GSM signals are either weak or non-existent.

According to him, if there is a policy, it would provide clear rules for interconnectivity, frequency and spectrum, etc.

On Nigerians who have no access to internet, Yau disclosed that it is sad that despite the successes recorded in telecommunication services, over 100 million Nigerians don’t have access to internet.

“This means that within the country, a population of about 100 million is already behind and excluded from the benefits of the internet,” he said. (Nigerian Tribune)