Emma Okonji
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has said the 25 years of telecoms revolution in Nigeria has enabled connectivity as a way of life for many Nigerians.
Maida who spoke in Lagos at the 2026 eWorld Forum, held under the theme: ‘The GSM Digital Milestones: 25 Years On’, said the liberalisation of the communications sector was set in motion by the National Telecommunications Policy of 2000, a development, he further said, ushered in GSM services in 2001, when the number of connected telephone lines was less than 400,000, with a teledensity, which stood at 0.4 per cent.
Maida who was represented by a senior manager at NCC, Ololade Saraki, said 25 years after, teledensity now stood at 90 per cent, with over 195 million active subscribers across the country.
“The milestone development is a success of our telecoms sector, which moved Nigeria from a nation where a phone line was a luxury to one where connectivity is now assumed as a basic way of life,” Maida said.
Former President, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), and Board Member, Telecommunications and Technology Sustainability Working Group, Mr. Chris Uwaje, discussed telecoms revolution before the advent of GSM in 2001, stressing that the telecoms has revolutionised individuals and businesses in Nigeria.