97m Nigerians now connected to the internet – Shittu

…Says Nigeria now has more telecom subscribers than the UK

Ladesope Ladelokun

Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu, has said not less than 97 million Nigerians are now connected to the internet – a figure that puts Nigeria on 170 per cent teledensity.

Shittu made this known at the second phase sensitization workshop on national Information and Communications Technology (ICT) roadmap with the theme, “The Role of The Private Sector in the Implementation of ICT Roadmap” in Awka, Anambra State.

He, however, expressed delight at the strides achieved in the ICT sector, stating that the sector had attracted more than $42 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He says the purpose of ICT, apart from providing service and convenience, is to increase the revenue base of the country.

He said the Federal Government would continue to work assiduously to ensure that the ICT sector attains its full potentials to provide a viable alternative to a petro-centric economy. According to Shittu, Nigeria now has more subscribers with 152 million active telephone lines.

With FDI that has exceeded $42 billion, he said, the implication is that such a huge sum could have been lost without the ICT, adding that if it had not come, a great number of jobs could have been lost, which will have a ripple effect on the economy.