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 Nentawe Yilwatda, 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 harmonised and 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.