President Tinubu declares security emergency as FG backs N160bn tower rollout for hard-to-reach areas
By Royal Ibeh
In a bold push to bridge Nigeria’s digital divide and fortify national security, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has greenlit a N160 billion investment to erect 4,000 telecommunications towers in underserved rural communities.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval comes amid a heightened security crisis, with Tinubu’s parallel declaration of a nationwide emergency underscoring the towers’ dual role in connectivity and crime-fighting.
Mohammed Idris, the minister of Information and National Orientation, revealed the decision to State House correspondents following the FEC meeting at Aso Rock Villa.
“The Federal Executive Council has taken a decision that 4,000 of such towers be established or erected in these very underserved communities across this country,” Idris stated.
He emphasised the initiative’s broader impact, stating, “Indeed, this will also help in fighting insecurity and enhancing commerce and economic activity amongst the people of those communities.”
At an estimated N40 million per tower for infrastructure and equipment, excluding land acquisition and licensing fees, the project represents a massive outlay aimed at connecting 23 million Nigerians currently cut off from basic voice and data services.
These individuals, scattered across vast rural expanses, endure blackouts in coverage that isolate them from emergency response, digital banking, and e-commerce opportunities.
The rollout, spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, promises to transform these “hard-to-reach” zones into hubs of economic vitality and surveillance capability.
Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure has grown exponentially since the sector’s liberalisation in 2001, when mobile penetration hovered below one percent. Today, Nigeria has deployed a total of 53,460 3G and 4G base transceiver stations (BTS) in the last five years, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
However, the country’s telecom infrastructure is still considered inadequate, with estimates suggesting that 70,000 to 80,000 base stations are needed for effective coverage, especially to support the rollout of 5G technology.
The addition of these 4,000 towers could extend coverage to an additional 20 percent to 30 percent of underserved landmass, particularly in the North-East and Middle Belt regions, plagued by banditry and insurgency.
Yet, the fanfare masks formidable hurdles. Deploying a single base station in Nigeria is a logistical gauntlet. Beyond the N40 million baseline for masts, antennas, and power backups, operators grapple with soaring diesel costs, up 300 percent since 2023 due to subsidy removals, leaving sites vulnerable to blackouts in off-grid areas.
Vandalism is rampant; in 2024 alone, over 1,200 towers were attacked, often for scrap metal or as reprisals in conflict zones, costing the industry M50 billion in repairs and lost revenue.
Multiple layers of right-of-way (RoW) fees from state and local governments add another 20 percent to 30 percent to expenses, with inconsistent enforcement leading to delays of up to six months per site.
Environmental challenges, from flooding in the Niger Delta to erosion in the Sahel, further inflate preparation costs, while skilled labour shortages slow installations.
Telecom stakeholders, including MTN and Airtel Africa, have long advocated for reforms: harmonised RoW tariffs capped at N140 per kilometre, mandatory hybrid solar-diesel systems to slash fuel dependency by 70 percent, and co-location incentives allowing multiple operators to share towers, potentially halving per-site costs. Without these, they warn, the N160 billion infusion risks evaporating into inefficiency.
