Telecoms Subscriber Base Hits 136m-NCC

Nigeria telephone subscriber base has leaped from less than 500,000 in 2000 to over 136 million fixed and mobile lines in November 2014, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) said yesterday.

Mrs. Josephine Amuwa, director, Policy Competition and Economic Analysis of the NCC, stated this during the donation of 77 titles of ICT/Telecommunications books to the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.

According to her, Nigeria is the fastest growing telecommunication country in the world with more than 3 million direct and indirect employment.

Amuwa, however, lamented that: “Nigerian engineers and most especially young engineers have sometimes not been able to take full advantage of the growth in the industry because of non-availability of or inadequacy of relevant books and other publications.

“This development has led to a substantial demand on the available human resources and encouraging operating companies to become net importers of skilled telecoms manpower into the country,” she added.

Receiving the donation, Prof. Oladipo Aina, EKSU Vice Chancellor,  said the books will help the institution in actualising its five year strategic plan.

Earlier, the VC at a one-day workshop for stakeholders, said the strategic plan was to reposition EKSU in its academics, administration and provision of services to communities towards achieving its overall goal of becoming a 21st century world-class university.

He said the workshop was to identify roles of stakeholders in achieving the strategic plan.