Lagos, Nigeria – February 25, 2025 – Gbenga Adegbiji, Chief Executive Officer of Geniserve, has called for the expansion of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure beyond Lagos to ensure equitable access to connectivity across the country.

In an interview with The PUNCH, Adegbiji highlighted the digital divide, noting that while Lagos enjoys substantial fibre-optic capacity, other regions remain underserved.

“Currently, there is substantial capacity concentrated in Lagos, but the challenge has been extending this capacity to other parts of Nigeria. The government’s initiative aims to ensure that every state has access to this infrastructure,” he said.

Bridging the Digital Divide

The Federal Government’s plan to deploy an additional 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable presents an opportunity to close this gap. The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan, which seeks to achieve 70% broadband penetration by 2025.

Adegbiji believes this expansion will drive economic growth, boost innovation, and enhance digital services nationwide.

“I believe the Federal Government is taking the right approach with this intervention. It comes at a crucial time because the demand for digital services is growing at a much faster rate than the pace of infrastructure development,” he added.

Lessons from the Past

Adegbiji also reflected on missed opportunities in previous expansion efforts, particularly citing Globacom’s second national carrier license.

“If Globacom had built a more extensive fibre network, other telecom operators like MTN and Airtel could have leveraged that infrastructure instead of duplicating efforts. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as expected,” he noted.

Ensuring Nationwide Connectivity

Beyond Lagos, Adegbiji emphasized the need to extend connectivity to Maiduguri, Sokoto, and other underserved regions to achieve true digital inclusion.

“This is a game-changer because it means that the same digital opportunities available in Lagos can now reach places like Maiduguri, Sokoto, and beyond.”

He further stressed that beyond laying fibre, a comprehensive framework is needed to connect schools, universities, homes, and businesses.

“Once the main fibre backbone is in place, it becomes easier to extend connectivity to institutions and enterprises, making technology more accessible and affordable,” he stated.

The expansion of digital infrastructure across Nigeria is seen as a critical step toward economic transformation, improved education, and wider access to digital opportunities.