By Okoh Aihe
There was the news the other day that MTN Nigeria is partnering with the Lagos State Government to redevelop the Obalende under-bridge into a modern transport hub to be known as Y’ELLO Bus Park. Transformation would be the right word for a presently degraded environment to wear new colours and bring a new sheen to that part of the state famous for so many other things except the purpose for which a bus stop is supposed to serve.
Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, who made the announcement, said the new bus park would come with an omnibus package featuring an organized and regulated bus terminal, a recycling drop-off station, a road camp for the officials of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and security agencies, over 60 public toilet facilities, kiosks, and other amenities for commuters and residents.
The facility would be functional, secure and community-centred with an overlay of modern technology to give it a unique distinction. No doubt, this is a gilt-edge corporate social responsibility project that will find a good place in the heart of a society that had nearly accepted the mire around them as a daily normal.
If you were still trying to understand that development, MTN has demonstrated that it doesn’t want to play at the bus terminal alone, it also wants a presence at the nation’s airports, as the organization, last week, partnered with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, to launch free, high-speed WiFi services for passengers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminal 2, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
It would seem MTN is on a corporate social responsibility binge to make Nigerians happy whether at the local bus station or at the airport where you would be counted as one of the lucky few in the country to afford a plane ticket, whether for a local or international flight. Network glitches would no longer be a problem but a pain singed in the memory of those who voted in the last Presidential election.
MTN is doing something good to sow back into the society where business has been good. I am just trying to paint the picture of passengers feeling cool at the Y’ELLO Bus Terminal, Obalende, or a passenger not having to roam international data but simply just jump on the Y’ELLO free Wi-Fi loop at the international airports, to reach anxious contacts. This is an appreciable development and it will offer a lot of comfort.
Much as I am excited about the free, high-speed WiFi for internet connection at the airports, my joy is fractured by a particular development which we all seem to have missed. And I can confess here that it is not good for big and urgent matters to be swept under the carpet, where they enjoy a hiding from public scrutiny to our eternal shame.
In the final days of the Muhammed Buhari administration, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved a bouquet of contracts, one of which was valued at N24.2bn, which was to offer free internet in airports, universities and markets across the country. Some genii had thought about it and canvassed the position that extending free Wi-Fi to these locations would do the nation a lot of good and make life better for those who crave for the El Dorado of a connected world.
Following the approval, 20 airports, 43 higher institutions and 6 markets would benefit from the broadband facility installations immediately. This was some kind of seminal reasoning escalated from the highest seat of government to make ordinary folks happy including that market woman whose daily conversation with her creator is to make enough just to take care of the small family whose head is a graduate without a job for over a decade. Oh yes, my dear, life has improved but stomachs are empty and primary education is biting the dust.
Dr Isa Pantami who was Minister of Communications and Digital Economy at the time, couldn’t hide his excitement when he spoke to the media after the FEC meeting of March 29, 2023, which held exactly two months to the end of the administration.
The media feasted on his presentation except that almost all of them had the same headline. ‘’FG approves N24.2bn for free Internet in airports, varsities, markets,’’ they screamed. Let me quote substantially from him.
‘’President Buhari has approved two memos for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). In these two memos, certain intervention projects are going to be implemented by the Federal Government, through the NCC, of providing Internet in 20 selected airports in Nigeria and higher institutions of learning, and also some markets to support micro, small and medium enterprises.
‘’The two memos are related. Memo number one is the award of a contract for the provision of broadband in some selected domestic and international airports. Twenty of them are going to be covered in the first phase of the project.
‘’In each geopolitical zone, you have about three airports. So, all these airports are going to be covered and the Federal Government will provide broadband for free to passengers that are coming through the airports.
‘’The duration for the project is four months minimum and maximum of five months, and there is budgetary provision for that,’’ Pantami enthused.
This must have sounded like music to the ears especially in a country where project implementation is marred by political pomposity or flatulence, if you take the inverse approach, a country where abandoned projects present more troubling evidence than the very few ones successfully executed.
In this column, April 19, 2023, with the title, In the twilight of a government, tech projects guzzle billions, we argued that it was not the responsibility of the regulator to provide free WiFi at the airports, pointing to best global practices; for instance at Heathrow, London, Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum International, Dubai, JFK International in New York, Tokyo International in Japan and Beijing Capital International, China, where Boingo is one of the primary broadband service providers.
Although the Minister bragged there was budget provision, we wrote at the time, ‘’The NCC has been corralled for the wrong reasons and pushed beyond the confines of basic telecoms regulations. There is fear of financial and intellectual haemorrhage at the organization because of extraneous pressure, and the system seems too conquered to complain or even cry out in pain.’’
By next month, it will be three years since the contract was awarded; I do not know whether the contract, which had a duration of four to five months, has been executed. Was the contract sum paid? I do not also know but I do know that the NCC has gone through such a very traumatizing financial situation that it has only taken some grace and genius to bring stability to the organization.
It is my simple reasoning that if the contract has been executed, it will make more sense for the NCC and FAAN to take their beautiful idea elsewhere where the impact would be profound. I am sure they did their needs assessment before venturing into the project implementation phase.
A N24.2bn contract is a huge one by any standard. It is good to track the implementation and be able to aggregate all accruing benefits, prevent project duplication and be ready to extend such gestures to other environments when the opportunity avails itself. Lack of proper project implementation is responsible for most of the drawbacks and deficits in the country, whether in the power sector, energy, road, rail and other infrastructure.
Let me state here that such fertile relationship between MTN and FAAN is appreciated and worth emulating. It is my prayer that other corporate organizations should explore channels of relationships that can profit the people without anybody trying to deny them of their humanity. The people of this nation need a reprieve from the unfortunate hassles of life.
