In a bustling hall in Abuja, where tech leaders, policymakers and privacy advocates gathered to mark Global Privacy Day, a story of ambition and transformation quietly unfolded.
Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, stood before the crowd and took them back to a vision first shared in August 2025, a dream to weave 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable across the length and breadth of the nation.
It was an audacious plan, bold in scale and rooted in a simple belief: that no corner of Nigeria should be cut off from the promise of the internet.
“When I talk about the fact that we will connect 90,000 kilometres of fibre, it’s not just a dream,” he said, his voice steady with conviction. “I’ve actually done 60 percent of that work.”
That single sentence carried the weight of countless hours of planning, laying kilometres of dark fibre, and overcoming logistical hurdles in terrains from cities to villages. It was a moment of pride, but also a reminder of work still ahead.
Tijani didn’t just want to celebrate progress; he wanted to paint a picture of what that progress would mean for everyday Nigerians. For students in remote towns, reliable broadband could unlock global classrooms.
“The money for that project has been secured. So if I talk to you today, I can boldly say that I’ve done the bulk of the work for whoever is going to become the minister.”
For entrepreneurs, it could open doors to digital markets once thought unreachable. And for the economy, it was a foundational pillar in the administration’s vision of a $1 trillion economy anchored in shared prosperity.
Tijani said digital infrastructure drive is part of President Bola Tinubu’s vision to build a $1 trillion economy anchored on shared prosperity.
But the infrastructure story didn’t stop at cables buried beneath the soil.
Reaching for the Skies
Amid the fibre rollout updates, Tijani turned the conversation skywards.
Nigeria, already unique in West Africa for having a known communication satellite, has now received approval to procure two new communication satellites.
In the minister’s words, this isn’t just about having satellites in orbit. It’s about ensuring that every remote community, every rural school, and every underserved town can be reached with connectivity that doesn’t depend solely on terrestrial lines.
These space assets are intended to stretch Nigeria’s digital reach further than ever before, across the nation’s vast landmass and potentially into neighbouring countries.
Picture it: fibre cables stitching cities and towns into the digital economy on the ground, while satellites overhead bridge the gaps that fibre cannot reach, all part of a grand plan to connect Nigeria and empower its people.
Trust as a Cornerstone
Yet, amid the pride in laying cables and launching satellites, Tijani sounded a note of caution. Connectivity without trust is like a road without direction.
As Nigeria pushes forward with its digital transformation, he emphasized that data protection and privacy must form the foundation of public confidence in these technologies.
That message, amplified by the Nigerian Data Protection Commission’s growing role, made clear that the government sees trust not as an afterthought but as a companion to progress.
A Journey Continues
At the close of the event, the hall buzzed with excitement, not just for the kilometres of fibre laid or the satellites soon to be procured, but for a future where digital tools serve every Nigerian, equally and securely.
The journey toward a fully connected Nigeria is far from over. But as the cables push outward and satellites prepare for launch, the story of Nigeria’s digital transformation is beginning to be written in earnest, one kilometre, one connection, and one heart at a time.
