Master storyteller, Chinua Achebe, would explain that communication much later when we were growing up in our educational pursuit. The agama lizard, which jumps down from the palm tree said if there was nobody to praise him, he would praise himself by nodding his head. This is my little attempt at summarising one of those witty tales by the master himself, which could explain the condition of a great performer lifting up his spirits if there was no one close by to do so, or if people intentionally overlooked his efforts.

Once Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, last week, announced the N3bn contribution by communication powerhouse, MTN, to support the government’s 3MTT programme, my mind went to the story of the agama lizard, quietly doing great things but nobody was really very interested in doing any clapping.

3MTT is an acronym for 3 Million Technical Talent, a bold initiative and a critical component of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda which is aimed at developing a local pool of technical talent for the country and the global tech ecosystem.

“I acknowledge MTN Nigeria’s long-term support for the 3MTT Nigeria programme, with cumulative investment of N3 billion since inception.

“This kind of collaboration is what drives our vision of building a future-ready workforce and positioning Nigeria as a net exporter of technical talent,” Tijani enthused.

Previously, the Airtel Africa Foundation had contributed a handsome N1 billion to support the same programme, while infrastructure service provider, IHS Tower, has entered an agreement worth another N1bn with the Ministry to build learning communities across the nation for the 3MTT programme.

Without a doubt, Tijani’s vision for the future of technology in Nigeria and the place of the youthful population, is very rich. Even when he does not enjoy my praise for his inability to persuade the President to reconstitute the Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), it is good to observe that the minister is on a journey into a future that accommodates the young people of this nation who were hitherto frustrated, vilified and used, in the main, as mere election cannon fodder.

3MTT is beyond wagering for elections. It is supported by facts, figures and verifiable products. The tech talent will be trained in cohorts. The programme started with
30,000 Nigerians, which was one percent of the 3 million target, while another 270,000 were later selected for the second cohort to bring the number to 10 percent.

The 3 Million Tech Talent will be trained in areas of specialty including: Digital Marketing, Project Management Software, Cloud Platforms Navigation, Data Analysis and Visualisation,Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), CRM Management, Accounting Software, Graphics Design and UX/UI Design, among others.

Tijani is lucky to be minister over a sector that has capacity, whose operators have enthusiastically embraced him with funds to bring his grand vision to life and give some fortunate ones the opportunity to aspire to a life of quality and meaning. Ironically the industry does not enjoy such understanding or deserved appreciation.

When confronted with any challenges and they are legion, the industry attracts criticisms instead of empathy. The sector is exposed to a cocktail of taxes and not even the lawmakers who question them over quality of service and sundry payments to government, have done anything about it. The telecommunications sector is the tap with endless supply of resources that are milked from the federal, down to the local councils. Their sites are shut down at the pleasure of the state government and not many people have a thought for the investment or the fact that, in challenging times, telecoms remain a critical national infrastructure.

Apart from the well documented fact that telecommunications provide the levers for every other sector of the economy and, I want to add, every fabric of life, I am afraid the sector is often overlooked in terms of prioritisation or scale of importance when critical decisions are being taken. For instance, after several appointments have been made by this government in the past two years, the administration has forgotten to appoint a Board for the NCC and, thus putting the agency in a knowledge deficit in terms of contributions by would-be other members of the Board. Without doubt, the activities and decisions of the Board would usually add fillip to the efforts of an agency struggling to recover from the pains of the past.

I am happy the industry is behind Tijani in his endeavours but it is a clear case of irony, as I am not very sure the minister has given the sector commensurate support and encouragement. Yet the future of this country means more to everybody, including the service providers who are putting their money on the youth for knowledge opportunities that will transform lives and nation.

It is still a long way ahead but the most difficult steps have been taken. And Tijani says, “As we scale the 3MTT Programme, we look forward to deepening our partnerships with the private sector to unlock more opportunities for our people and economy.”

This sounds good and inviting, but I am told Tijani is a solo player, so immersed in his ideas that he hardly accommodates the concerns of those around him, meaning that he may have more vision than followers. He has less than two years to change his ways and give the telecommunications industry the push it deserves.

0724 for Lebara

The name strikes a chord in a nearly forgotten background in my being. I cannot remember at what point I used a Lebara line but I remember very well the line was easy to get and that was what I needed at the time.

Lebara has been given the 0724 number series by the regulator. Chief Operating Officer of Lebara Nigeria, Mary O. Akin-Adesokan, says the completion of interconnectivity setup with all major mobile operators, underlines Lebara’s “unwavering commitment to seamless integration, customer freedom, and market inclusivity.”

Lebara holds a Tier 5 Mobile Virtual Network Operator License (MVNO) which empowers it to ride on other people’s networks, given interconnectivity, to deliver niche services. I am told by an NCC source that MVNO is usually the fruit of a maturing telecommunications market. There are several hundred in the UK and USA. Quite a number have also been licensed in Nigeria.

“The coming of Lebara is to enhance competition and provide niche services. They may also provide voice and data but mostly their services are niche,” a source said at the NCC.

It is encouraging that there is always something good about the telecommunications sector in spite of all the pressure. There is always something fresh, like Lebara, like contributing life-changing sums to life-changing programmes by the minister. The sector may not go the agama lizard way, but there are those clapping for the operators, like the rural folks who are able to connect with their loved ones in the cities and receive mobile transfers that bring balm to a nearly defeated life.

Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of TheCable.