The cost of laying fiber cables across Nigeria is estimated to be $2 billion — Minister

According to Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy, installing fibre optic lines throughout Nigeria will set you back almost $2 billion.

The minister added that Nigeria is home to cutting-edge technology known as the Fifth-Generation (5G) network during his Tuesday appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

But he pointed out that not all parts of the nation have the infrastructure needed to handle this cutting-edge technology.

According to him, the cost of wiring all of Nigeria for the smooth operation of the 5G network will be roughly $2 billion.

He responded, “We do in some places,” when asked if 5G was available in Nigeria.

“The 5G infrastructure is not something that is available everywhere in the country.

Therefore, it goes without saying that the quality will decline if you have a 5G subscription and move to an area where the infrastructure is unable to handle it. The minister stated, “There are telcos with the licence and 5G exists in Nigeria.”

According to Tijani, Nigeria’s government is making every effort to expand the number of kilometres its fibre optic lines span.

“The objective is to reach 95,000 kilometres, and we are currently at about 35 to 40 kilometres,” he stated. “We’ll need to spend between $1.5 billion and $2 billion to wire the whole country of Nigeria.”

In the first four years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the minister anticipated that his leadership would enable the ministry to realise its goal of wiring Nigeria.

According to him, the current administration wants to install fibre connections to link government buildings, hospitals, schools, and other important locations. The minister explained, “Because once we can accomplish this, we start to see changes in the delivery of public services.”

In an effort to stop the damage, Tijani stated he is working on designating communications infrastructure as essential national assets.