By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Jane
Egerton-Idehen, has highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s first base station
under the Federal Government’s Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project
(NUCAP), saying it is already helping children in a rural community access
remote learning.
The 45-metre, solar-powered
base station, located in Bende, Abia State, has a coverage radius of
approximately eight kilometres and is expected to provide connectivity to
Community School, Bende, and the community hospital.
Egerton-Idehen visited the
school alongside Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Okezie
Kalu, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Dr ‘Bosun
Tijani, and Postmaster General Tola Odeyemi. They sat with pupils as they
participated in a mathematics lesson delivered remotely by a teacher using a smartboard.
“The connection making this
possible? The one we had just helped bring to their community. Watching those
children learn this way was one of those moments that reminds you why the work
matters,” Egerton-Idehen said.
She said the new
connectivity would also benefit the community hospital and create opportunities
for residents to access digital learning resources, healthcare information and
wider markets for small businesses.
“A child in a rural
community can access learning opportunities beyond the four walls of a
classroom. A health worker can access digital resources. A small business can
reach customers beyond its immediate environment. This is what connectivity
makes possible,” she said.
Egerton-Idehen stressed that
access to connectivity should not be determined by where people live,
describing it as a gateway to education, healthcare, business opportunities and
a better future.
“Connectivity is not a
luxury. It is access to education, healthcare, business opportunities and a
better future,” she said, adding that the Bende project offered a glimpse of
what could be achieved by extending connectivity to underserved communities.
The NUCAP initiative plans
to deploy 3,700 base stations to expand access to reliable connectivity across
Nigeria. The Bende installation was delivered through public-private
collaboration involving Huawei, IHS Nigeria (GICL) and MTN Nigeria.
Egerton-Idehen urged
Nigerians to visit the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and
Digital Economy website at fmcide.gov.ng/nucap to explore the project and check
whether their communities are included in the rollout plan.
