Gboyega Akinsanmi
Group Managing Director, CFL Group, Mr. Lai Omotola yesterday faulted the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), noting that the commission could deploy broadband and satellite service to electronically transmit election results.
Omotola, a telecommunication expert, identified three different ways that the election results could be transmitted electronically in 2023, which he said, could be through fibre optics, broadband and satellite services.
He faulted the position of the NCC in a statement he issued yesterday, saying national debate, which Section 52(2) of the Electoral Amendment Bill has generated recently, was uncalled-for and unnecessary.
He acknowledged that section 52(2) of the Electoral Amendment Bill “has generated a lot of argument over the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results in real time.”
Technically, the Omotola explained that there “are three vehicles upon which these can be transmitted, Fiber optics, Satellite and broadband.”
The IT expert agreed that the country’s fibre coverage “is low, our broadband coverage is about 70% on the average. But our satellite coverage is 100%. Please note not Nigcomsat, but foreign satellites.”
He explained three types of signals that a telecommunication company would want to transmit, which according to him, include video, voice and text.
Omotola, therefore, pointed out that video “is the most difficult to transmit because it consumes a lot of data followed by voice and the least of them is text because it takes the least data. There are about 178,000 polling units and all these units should transmit results electronically.
“Firstly, we should all agree that GSM service is available in all states of the federation including FCT. All state capitals nationwide are covered. By implication, at least 25% of the polling units have been covered.
“The challenge here is how do we connect rural villages for them to be able to transmit live, which is not difficult. This is by creating a last mile solution. The good thing is that the technology provided will only be for election day. Therefore, it will be deplored for the same purpose.
“A mixture of broadband and satellite can deliver seamless electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria. The way it will work is such that the network provider will provide a handheld gadget with an antenna that will transmit results from every polling station in Nigeria.
“This can be done by telecom companies or the contractors. This service will be 100% reliant. Let no one fool us that it is not possible to election results electronically. From a technology perspective, it is easy to deplore.
“Anyone challenging the possibility will not be arguing from sound technology background and knowledge of our telecommunication infrastructure as at today.
“The benefit of electronic transmission is to eliminate election rigging; make it easier for people to vote; bring in more voters to save the country from unending election tribunals; get results faster; make our electoral process credible; strengthen our democracy and eventually save Nigeria.”
Amid controversies over the inclusion of the electronic transmission of results clause in the Electoral Amendment Bill, a document commissioned by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in 2020 put 2-G network coverage at 89% of the country’s population.
Fresh facts about the country’s internet coverage status are contained in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025, a 100-page document that detailed how Nigeria could achieve 90% national broadband coverage of its population by 2025.
The Minister Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami had inaugurated the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 Presidential Committee on December 16, 2019 following the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Under the chairmanship of Founder/CEO, MainOne, Ms. Funke Opeke, comprising 32 industry stakeholders and representatives of key government agencies, supported by non-governmental and civil society organisations along with development partners, worked in producing the national broadband document.
The document, which was forwarded by the president and communication minister, revealed that mobile coverage across the federation grew upon the issuance of digital mobile licenses (DML) to operators that initially deployed 2-G technology to provide voice services and effectively covering greater than 89% of Nigeria’s population today.
Already adopted with a view to achieving at least 90% national broadband coverage by 2020, the document read in part: “Demand for Internet access and availability of spectrum has stimulated the growth in 3-G services, which covers about 75% of the population.
“4-G deployments have been limited to deployments in the major urban areas within the past three years and are currently available to approximately 37% of Nigeria’s population,” the document revealed deploying diverse Nigerian maps to graphically extrapolate the spread of internet networks nationwide.
Even with 3-G coverage, the document further explained that most areas of the federation “are only being served by one of the operators while 4-G remains sparse beyond the very largest urban areas and state capitals.”
Consistent with statistics, industry players claimed that the national broadband coverage would have grown above the 2019 national status detailed in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025.
