By David Attai
Recently, there have been dramatic claims that Nigeria’s digital economy is “dead.” But dig a little deeper and you will find that the story didn’t come from industry analysts or economic report. It came from some alleged unhappy staff at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) speaking anonymously.
On the surface, such claims may seem like they come from people speaking out of genuine concern. But look closer, and you’ll see that what is really at play here is more of office politics than the actual state of our digital sector. And I will explain better
But before going deeper to address some of the concerns or claims that Nigeria’s digital economy is dead, I will ask that you think about it, if Nigeria’s digital economy were truly “dead,” we wouldn’t be seeing more people using mobile payments, more rural communities coming online, and more Nigerian tech firms winning global attention.
As an observer with no stake in the internal affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission, my interest here is simple. I follow developments in the digital economy closely because of its central role in national growth, job creation, and global competitiveness.
Personally, I believe it is important to separate legitimate staff grievances from narratives that could undermine public confidence in one of Nigeria’s most critical economic sectors.
While workplace concerns should never be dismissed outright, my interest in this conversation is that it is misleading to project internal disputes as evidence of national economic collapse. Yes, there may be disagreements within the NCC as in any workplace, but turning internal disputes into a national obituary for Nigeria’s digital sector is not just unfair, it’s misleading and dangerous.
Let us start with the central claim: that Nigeria’s digital economy is collapsing. This assertion is demonstrably false. On the contrary, over the past year, we have seen significant developments in broadband penetration, fintech expansion, digital payments adoption, and local start-up funding. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) still ranks Nigeria among Africa’s top three digital markets.
It is worth noting that the NCC has already addressed the issues publicly, clarifying that promotions were conducted in line with Public Service Rules, manpower needs, and available vacancies.
While, I do not speak for the NCC, a close look shows that this is standard practice in the civil service. No institution can promote beyond its established structure without creating inefficiency and wage bill bloat. Staff members who did not meet cut-off scores or for whom there were no vacancies simply could not be promoted without breaching due process.
Another point worth challenging is the portrayal of technology adoption within the NCC as “authoritarian surveillance.” Collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams are widely used by public and private sector organisations worldwide to enhance productivity, track deliverables, and ensure accountability. To equate this with illegal spying is to misrepresent a basic workplace technology practice. If anything, adopting such tools reflects a modernising workplace culture, not a draconian one.
For me I think there is also a political undertone to the repeated call for President Tinubu to dissolve the current NCC management. Nigerians must be cautious about endorsing such demands without solid evidence of wrongdoing. Regulatory stability is critical for investor confidence, especially in a sector that underpins banking, e-commerce, agriculture, and education. Frequent changes in leadership based on internal disputes risk sending the wrong message to global partners.
Criticism is healthy in any democracy, but it must be grounded in verifiable facts, not amplified grievances. Without any doubt, the NCC remains one of Nigeria’s most strategic institutions, and undermining its credibility through sensational claims does a disservice not just to the commission but to the millions of Nigerians whose daily lives depend on a functioning telecom sector.
The truth is that Nigeria’s digital economy is alive, evolving, and still has enormous potential. We should focus our national conversation on how to accelerate broadband rollout, close the rural-urban connectivity gap, and strengthen data protection laws — not on reducing critical national institutions to the battleground of workplace politics.
The digital economy is too important to be buried under the weight of internal squabbles. Let’s keep our eyes on the bigger picture.
What is the bigger picture? The bigger picture is that, the Nigerian Communications Commission has been steadily driving policies, investments, and innovations that have expanded the country’s digital space. Broadband penetration, for instance, has grown from 40.9% in 2021 to over 50% by mid-2024, according to industry data. This means more than half of Nigeria’s population now has access to high-speed internet, a feat that supports everything from online learning to e-commerce and remote work.
Over the past year, NCC’s licensing and regulatory initiatives have helped new telecom infrastructure projects take off — including the rollout of additional fibre optic networks that have improved connectivity in underserved states. The commission has also strengthened its broadband infrastructure licensing framework to encourage private sector investment, which is essential for meeting the government’s target of 70% broadband penetration by 2025.
Fintech growth, another pillar of the digital economy, has flourished in this environment. Regulatory certainty and spectrum management provided by the NCC have supported the mobile money boom, enabling millions of Nigerians to access financial services for the first time. This is why Nigeria continues to be one of Africa’s leaders in fintech investment inflows, attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital.
NCC’s work also goes beyond commercial operators. Through its Digital Nigeria projects and partnerships with the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the commission has facilitated ICT training programmes for young Nigerians, enhanced rural telephony access through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), and promoted initiatives to make the internet safer for children and women.
Security has also been a focus. By enforcing the SIM registration and linkage policy with the National Identification Number (NIN), the NCC has strengthened the fight against cybercrime, identity theft, and fraud. These measures have already led to a significant reduction in unregistered and anonymous SIM usage.
These gains are not the sign of a “dead” digital economy. They are the hallmarks of a sector that, while imperfect and still developing, is moving forward with tangible results. To dismiss all this progress because of workplace disagreements would be to ignore the data, the investment climate, and the lived experiences of millions of Nigerians whose daily lives are enhanced by digital connectivity.
Beyond the NCC, the Tinubu administration, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, is building with a renewed sense of purpose.
The most tangible evidence of this is the aggressive push to bridge Nigeria’s significant broadband gap. The government has announced a massive $2 billion investment to deploy an additional 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable, which will bring the total national capacity to an impressive 125,000 kilometers.
This is not a symbolic gesture; it is a foundational project aimed at ensuring that high-speed, reliable internet is no longer a luxury but a fundamental utility. The “Project 774 LG Connectivity” initiative, which aims to provide internet access to all 774 local government secretariats, is another concrete step towards creating a truly inclusive digital economy that reaches every corner of the country.
Beyond infrastructure, the administration is making a bold bet on Nigeria’s greatest asset: its people. The “3 Million Technical Talents” (3MTT) program is a testament to this vision. Launched with the goal of training three million Nigerians in a range of in-demand digital skills, the program has already surpassed its initial targets.
This is a critical investment in human capital, creating a pipeline of skilled professionals who can drive innovation and meet the demands of a global digital workforce. The government is also working to embed digital skills into the formal education system, from kindergarten to the tertiary level, ensuring a future generation that is digitally literate from the start.
The world is also taking notice. The digital economy has seen a remarkable ninefold increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first quarter of this year, a clear vote of confidence from international investors.
Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are bringing significant investments to Nigeria, a direct result of the government’s efforts to create a business-friendly environment. The new National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill provides a legal and regulatory framework that reduces uncertainty and encourages private sector participation.
Of course, the road to a fully digital Nigeria is not without its challenges. The concerns of the NCC staff regarding victimization and lack of transparency are serious and must be handled with the utmost care to ensure the stability and integrity of a key regulatory body. However, conflating these internal issues with the overall health of the digital economy is a mistake.
The data and the strategic initiatives on the ground tell a story of a digital economy that is far from “dead.” It is an economy in motion, with a clear blueprint for the future.
From the ambitious fiber optic projects to the massive talent development programs and the influx of foreign investment, the seeds of a robust and prosperous digital future are being planted and nurtured.
The true measure of a government’s success is not the absence of problems, but the strength of its response and the vision it lays out. In the case of Nigeria’s digital economy, that vision is both clear and compelling.
*Attai is the National Secretary General of Volunteer Media Advocacy For Accountable Leadership. He wrote from Lagos
