The two major opposition political parties in Niger State – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) – have begun the race for the Niger State Government House presently occupied by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mohammed Umaru Bago.
While the PDP unveiled its governorship campaign council, the rival ADC flagged off its governorship campaign.
The PDP, which has former Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) boss, Alhaji Mohammed Nami as its standard bearer, announced the appointment of Alhaji Labaran Gambo as the Director General of the Nami Gubernatorial Campaign Council.
According to the party, Alhaji Sulaiman Abubakar, who stepped down for Nami was announced as the secretary of the campaign Council.
The announcement was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Minna by the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Halidu Aliyu Muhammad.
The statement did not name other members of the council but expressed confidence that the appointees’ wealth of experience, commitment, and proven leadership will bring renewed hope, energy, unity, and strategic direction to the Nami governorship campaign.
The ADC on its part flagged off its governorship campaign at Kpautagi the country home of its governorship candidate, Dr Mohammed Kpautagi early in the week.
At the flagg-off, Kpautagi while addressing his kinsmen, pledged to improve their social and economic lives and also transform the community.
Addressing the crowd , the ADC Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Gimba Tswatagi, described the governorship candidate of the party as “very popular across the 25 local government in the state, boasting also that the party would win the governorship election.
Yilwatda: FG’s Digital Project to Deliver 90,000km of Fibre Across 36 States by 2028
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor NentaweYilwatda, has said the federal government’s digital initiative is scheduled to deploy and deliver over 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre across the 36 states of the federation by 2028.
Yilwatda added that when completed, the project was expected to take Nigeria’s combined backbone from about 35,000 kilometres to around 125,000 kilometres and connect more than 200,000 schools, health facilities, and other public institutions in the country.
He disclosed the plan on Wednesday in Abuja during a virtual executive session with Chief Executive Officers of the information technology industry.
The chairman, in a statement by his Special Adviser of Media and Information, Abimbola Tooki, described digital infrastructure as fundamental to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He stated that the country’s ambitions in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital inclusion, and a technology-driven economy could not be achieved without robust and affordable connectivity infrastructure.
Yilwatda stressed that the federal government’s Project BRIDGE, designed to deploy 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre across the country, represented one of the most significant infrastructure interventions in Nigeria’s digital space.
According to him, the federal government incorporated Bridge Open Access in August as an independent company to deliver the network, with the government, through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, expected to hold between 25 and 49 per cent, while private investors will hold between 51 and 75 per cent, and retain operational control.
Yilwatda emphasised that the structure was deliberately designed to ensure that government provided the necessary de-risking and strategic support while the private sector brought operational discipline, investment, and efficiency to the project.
He disclosed that about $800 million in sovereign financing had already been secured for the initiative, comprising $500 million from World Bank, $100 million from European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and $200 million from African Development Bank, in addition to a €22 million grant from the European Union.
The chairman said physical rollout of the project was scheduled to commence in October 2026, with the delivery period reduced from five years to three years and completion now targeted for 2028.
“When completed, the project is expected to take Nigeria’s combined backbone from about 35,000 kilometres to around 125,000 kilometres and connect more than 200,000 schools, health facilities and other public institutions,” Yilwatda said.
He, however, cautioned that the success of the initiative would depend on moving beyond policy announcements to actual implementation.
“Announcements do not lay cable,” the national chairman said.
He stressed that about $1.2 billion was still required from private capital to complete the financing needs of the project.
The chairman also stated that fibre deployment alone would not automatically translate into digital inclusion without complementary investments in electricity, affordable devices, affordable data services, towers, backhaul infrastructure, and last-mile connectivity.
Yilwatda observed that fibre infrastructure remained heavily concentrated in major urban centres, with Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory accounting for more than 18 per cent of deployed fibre, while fibre-to-the-home penetration remained relatively low, with approximately 265,000 subscribers nationwide.
He called for stronger collaboration between political leadership, governments at all levels, and the private sector to remove the obstacles slowing down digital infrastructure
The national chairman identified right-of-way charges and inconsistent regulatory requirements as some of the major impediments confronting telecommunications operators.
He said operators continued to face varying right-of-way charges, multiple permits and, in some instances, the destruction of already-installed telecommunications infrastructure by state and local government authorities.
According to him, APC, as the governing party at the federal level and in many states, possesses a unique political platform that can be deployed to address the challenge.
He announced that the APC national secretariat would work with the Progressive Governors’ Forum and APC state chapters to promote harmonisedand cost-reflective right-of-way terms, as well as practical measures to protect telecommunications infrastructure in APC-governed states.
He also extended the invitation to governors elected on the platforms of other political parties, stressing that digital infrastructure is a national development issue that should transcend partisan politics.
Yilwatda said, “Infrastructure has no party. Our objective should be to create an environment in which every Nigerian, regardless of political affiliation or location, can benefit from the digital economy.”
He called for the protection of fibre-optic infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure, stating that vandalism and accidental damage to fibre cables could undermine major public and private investments in digital connectivity.
The national chairman also advocated stronger coordination between road construction and telecommunications infrastructure development.
He observed that a significant number of fibre cuts were caused by road construction, excavation, and other civil works, describing the situation as a coordination failure that could be prevented through better planning.
He commended the Federal Ministries of Works and Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy for inaugurating a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables, but urged that the initiative be extended to states and local governments.
Yilwatda proposed that every federal and state road contract should incorporate provisions for telecommunications ducts and require contractors to identify and protect existing fibre infrastructure before excavation.
He stated, “Building a road and destroying a broadband link in the same month is not development. It is a waste.”
He said APC would use its political structures to encourage greater coordination between state governments, local authorities, road contractors, and telecommunications operators.
Speaking on the future of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data centres, Yilwatda said the next decade would be defined significantly by the rapid development and application of AI.
He said Nigeria must make a strategic decision to become an active participant and beneficiary of the AI revolution rather than merely becoming a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.
“The question for Nigeria is not whether AI will shape our economy. It will. The question is whether we will shape it, or simply rent it,” he said.
The chairman pointed out that Nigeria already had a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, while the federal government had also unveiled the National Digital Cloud Policy, designed to attract approximately $750 million in private investment into cloud and data infrastructure within 24 months, with $250 million targeted within the first year.
He said government and industry were also working towards expanding Nigeria’s data-centre capacity from approximately 50 megawatts to 200 megawatts of IT load over the next five years.
PDP, ADC Begin Race for Niger State
Laleye Dipo in Minna
The two major opposition political parties in Niger State – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) – have begun the race for the Niger State Government House presently occupied by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mohammed Umaru Bago.
While the PDP unveiled its governorship campaign council, the rival ADC flagged off its governorship campaign.
The PDP, which has former Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) boss, Alhaji Mohammed Nami as its standard bearer, announced the appointment of Alhaji Labaran Gambo as the Director General of the Nami Gubernatorial Campaign Council.
According to the party, Alhaji Sulaiman Abubakar, who stepped down for Nami was announced as the secretary of the campaign Council.
The announcement was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Minna by the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Halidu Aliyu Muhammad.
The statement did not name other members of the council but expressed confidence that the appointees’ wealth of experience, commitment, and proven leadership will bring renewed hope, energy, unity, and strategic direction to the Nami governorship campaign.
The ADC on its part flagged off its governorship campaign at Kpautagi the country home of its governorship candidate, Dr Mohammed Kpautagi early in the week.
At the flagg-off, Kpautagi while addressing his kinsmen, pledged to improve their social and economic lives and also transform the community.
Addressing the crowd , the ADC Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Gimba Tswatagi, described the governorship candidate of the party as “very popular across the 25 local government in the state, boasting also that the party would win the governorship election.
Laleye Dipo
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