Support ICT development,’ Minister tells Reps

Support ICT development,’ Minister tells Reps

The Minister of Communications Technology, Omobola Johnson, said the priority of the Ministry is the provision of Information and Communications Technology

(ICT) infrastructure.

Johnson, while receiving the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, said the Ministry was creating an enabling environment for the accelerated roll-out of robust and cost effective ICT infrastructure, in order to increase access to ICT by Nigerians.

She listed some of the priorities as infrastructure provision, inclusive development, job creation and sustaining a sound regulatory environment for ICT to thrive in the country.

The minister said the issue of poor quality service by telecommunications operators would soon be a thing of the past because the Ministry was working hard to improve their operating environment.

“We are working to ensure that the issues of inadequate number of base stations, arbitrary cost and lengthy process of right of way acquisition are resolved,” she said, adding that issues of interruptions to laying cables, wilful and accidental damage to fibre optic cables and base stations were being resolved for service quality to improve.

Johnson solicited the support of the House of Representatives for the actualisation of the Ministry’s objective of leveraging ICT for national socio-economic development.

She said the biggest challenge being faced was ensuring the roll out of fibre optic infrastructure inland.

She, however, said the Ministry was working to address the challenge by collaborating with the ministries of Works and Environment on the bottlenecks constituted by right of way, base stations for wireless broadband.

Responding, Oyetude Ojo, the Chairman, House Committee on Communication, commended the Ministry for its achievements and priorities in its 10 months of existence.

He said that the world was in the technology age, where the analogue platform was giving way to the digital.

Ojo said that such transformation required legislative support and pledged that the National Assembly would give the ministry all the necessary support to succeed, especially in the area of legislation.