Boniface Okoro in Umuahia
The federal government yesterday launched the Nigerian Universal Communications Access Project (NUCAP) tower (mast) site in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, as part of a nationwide plan to build 3,700 towers to provide telecommunications access to over 20 million unreached and underserved Nigerians.
The launch, facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and delivered by Global Independent Connect Limited (GICL), a subsidiary of IHS Towers, took place in Bende with Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, and Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani in attendance.
The initiative, funded through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), will also deploy Public Wi-Fi and Smart Village solutions, beginning with seven pilot locations across Abia, Delta, Enugu, Plateau, Katsina and Ogun States. Bende is the first to be commissioned.
Tijani said the project is part of President Bola Tinubu’s mandate to bring every Nigerian online, stressing that where a person lives should not stand between them and opportunity.
“Through NUCAP, we are delivering 3,700 towers across the country. Today we are commissioning the first here in Bende,” Tijani said, adding that every community in Bende will be connected before Christmas.
He urged residents to see the tower not just as metal but as “a tree that bears fruit” for farmers seeking buyers, traders closing sales, students learning new skills and families seeking help, noting that connectivity is the foundation for the administration’s $1 trillion economy ambition.
Tijani thanked IHS, Huawei and MTN for their roles, and urged the community to protect the infrastructure and report faults.
Delivering his goodwill message, Chief Commercial Officer of IHS Nigeria, Akeem Adeshina, said connectivity is more than infrastructure, it is an enabler of opportunity that connects people to information, education, commerce and public services.
Adeshina said IHS, with 25 years presence as Nigeria’s leading communications infrastructure company, is proud to deploy its capabilities through GICL for the project, noting that the real value will be measured by what it enables – a student accessing learning, an entrepreneur reaching beyond Bende and a family communicating more easily.
He commended the ministry and USPF for their commitment to extending digital services to underserved communities and assured that IHS sees the project as part of a broader ambition to support a more inclusive digital future for Nigeria.
“I am delighted to join you today to mark an important milestone in our collective efforts to expand digital access and bring opportunities of connectivity closer to underserved communities across Nigeria.
“At IHS, we believe that connectivity is more than just infrastructure. It is an enabler of opportunities. It connects our people to information, education, cohorts, public service, and increasingly to digital economy. So today, activations here in Abia represent an important milestone on that journey,” Adeshina said.
Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency, described the tower as “opening a new channel of opportunity” for clearer calls, successful banking transactions, online learning and emergency response.
Kalu said connectivity is as essential as roads, connecting people to knowledge, markets and services, and thanked President Tinubu for choosing Bende and for appointing Dr. Tijani, whom he described as “the right peg in the right hole.”
“Roads connect our communities physically. Communication networks connect our people to knowledge, connect our people to services, connect our people to markets, and to one another. The community needs both if they want to prosper.
“So on behalf of the people of Bende Federal constituency, I sincerely, most sincerely, thank His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his administration’s commitment to expanding digital infrastructure and bringing more Nigerians into the digital economy,” the Deputy Speaker said.
He noted that thousands of people around the area have suffered lack of connectivity and appealed to traditional rulers and President-Generals to donate land free of charge for subsequent sites, disclosing that 16 locations requiring intervention have been identified in Bende for phased rollout.
Kalu also raised concerns over inaccurate digital mapping, where Bende town is mislabelled as Ameke on GPS platforms, and urged the ministry to work with mapping providers and traditional rulers to correct such errors, which affect deliveries, business visibility and emergency response.
He commended Governor Alex Otti for not politicising federal projects in Abia, noting that the governor has readily provided land for federal institutions including an Industrial Court, Federal University and Federal College of Education.