FG Begins 90,000km Fibre Rollout in Weeks

"We're now at the point where, in a few weeks' time, we should start to lay those fibre cables, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,"

The Federal Government says construction of its planned 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network will commence within the next few weeks, marking a major step in its drive to expand broadband access and strengthen Nigeria's digital economy.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the minister, the government has completed resource mobilisation and contractual processes for the nationwide infrastructure project, paving the way for physical deployment.

"We're now at the point where, in a few weeks' time, we should start to lay those fibre cables, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good," Tijani said.

He said the project would extend fibre optic infrastructure to every state, geopolitical zone, local government area and ward, significantly improving the quality of internet connectivity across the country.

"This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity," he added.

Tijani attributed recent growth in Nigeria's telecommunications sector to reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, including the designation of digital infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, telecommunications tariff adjustments and tax harmonisation measures.

The minister also announced that the government plans to begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to improve mobile network coverage in underserved communities.

He said the project, already approved by the President, is expected to provide reliable network access to more than 20 million Nigerians who currently lack adequate connectivity.

"Before the end of the year, we'll also start to deploy close to 3,700 towers. It's taken a lot putting this project together, raising the capital for it, but we are at a point where we should now start deploying around October," he said.

Tijani further disclosed that Nigeria will introduce a new alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, assigning a unique address to every property nationwide.

He said the initiative would improve logistics, support e-commerce, strengthen emergency response services and enhance public service delivery.

"The alphanumeric postcode is unique because it allows us to have unique addresses for every property. That will change the game significantly for Nigeria in terms of the delivery of public services," the minister said.