The Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has said the 25 years of telecoms revolution in Nigeria has pushed mant Nigerians to see connectivity as a way of life.

Maida who spoke in Lagos at the 2026 eWorld Forum, under the theme: ‘The GSM Digital Milestones: 25 Years On’, noted that the liberalisation of the communications sector was set in motion in the year 2000, had led to a development, which ushered in GSM services in 2001, and has grown exponentially.

He referred back to the year when the number of connected telephone lines across the country was less than 400,000, with a teledensity at 0.4 per cent.

According to Maida, represented by a senior manager, NCC, Ololade Saraki, emphasised that 25 years after the “revolution”, 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 telephone line was a luxury, to one where connectivity is now assumed as a basic way of life”.

A 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, where he pointed out that the telecoms has revolutionised the appreciation of individuals to the use of telecom and the deployment in businesses in Nigeria.  

He commended the nation’s leadership and especially the NCC for improving on what was set up, stressing that with what has been done, Nigeria is catching up with advanced countries in the use and application of telecommunications.

(PHOTO: Courtesy, newsconnectonline, com)