No doubt, the Act establishing the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) mandates it to supervise and always make sure that telecom services are provided nationwide including the underserved at all times.
But something shocked the nation earlier this week when the Nigerian Senate passed the 2026 Electoral Act with a caveat that empowers the electoral umpire, INEC to only transmit results electronically from the polling booth if and only if there is available network to do so, otherwise, use manual transmission where there is no telecom network.
However, since the coming in of Dr. Aminu Maida as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, he has powered several underserved network availability, thus making unconnected areas to be seamlessly connected. Today, there is no Local Government in Nigeria where telecoms Network is not working unless in cases of vandalism. Many activists say even terrorists and bandits can boost of having network in high forests to transact collection of ransoms paid into their accounts digitally without stress.
Business Hilights recalls that even Senator Orji Kalu that claimed at plenary that he has no network in his village forgot to remember that during the 2023 election, he snapped his ballot paper showing where he voted for APC (even though the vote was void because it touched margin) and posted it online instantly while at the booth which therefore invalidates his claim that there is no network in his village.
Maida has within the last few years of his appointment, boosted Nigerian internet usage and broadband growth
Only in 2025, Nigeria witnessed dramatic increases in data consumption: internet data usage soared to about 13.2 million terabytes in 2025, representing a roughly 35 % jump over 2024 levels, a reflection of growing internet adoption across mobile and broadband platforms.
Broadband subscriptions grew significantly, lifting penetration past the 50 % threshold by the end of the year, a major milestone in closing connectivity gaps nationwide.
Also, mobile data usage expanded sharply, with monthly traffic rising more than 140 % over three years, underscoring explosive demand for digital services.
We believe that these trends underscored the expanding role of digital connectivity in education, commerce, entertainment, and governance across Nigeria.
While deepening his strategic regulatory frameworks for the future at NCC, Maida made it possible for year 2025 to become a year of blueprinting Nigeria’s digital future.
The Commission published a comprehensive five-year Spectrum Roadmap (2025–2030), designed to align spectrum policy with national broadband and digital economy goals, support Universal Access, and accommodate evolving technologies such as non-terrestrial (satellite) connectivity.
Plans were also underway for a telecom cybersecurity framework to strengthen digital infrastructure protection in an era of expanding online services.
These policy foundations aim to foster sustainable growth while preparing the sector for future technologies, including next-generation mobile services and satellite-based broadband.
