Communication Technology Ministry: From Talking to Acting

The creation of the Ministry of Communication Technology from the hitherto Ministry of Information and Communication came as a surprise to many; yet, it was greeted with open arms. A surprise because the once Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Information were merged by the President Olusegun Obasanjo government in a move that was seen as following global trends in the convergence train.

But seeing the need to have a distinct ministry to look after the Information and Communications Technology issues in the country, President Goodluck Jonathan excised that part and called it simply Ministry of Communication Technology, leaving the other part back as it used to be, as Ministry of Information.

If the creation of the Ministry of Communication Technology came as a surprise and was greeted with cautious optimism, the appointment of Mrs. Omobola Johnson as minister in charge of that ministry came amid euphoria and was received with joy especially among industry stakeholders. And this was not without good reasons.

Mrs. Johnson’s appointment to the new ministry was rightly described as putting a round peg in a round hole given her professional training, experience and pedigree.

But like in all things, there is always a huge gap between the talking, the expectations and the actual delivery of results – in practical terms. What matters most is not what was expected or what was promised; it is what was finally delivered.

The new ministry and its minister may have used the last five months of 2011 to fashion out what the ministry should deliver to Nigerians; although with the benefit of hindsight, Nigerians have their expectations of what the ministry must deliver. In that period also, the ministry – or better put – the minister, has made quite a number of comments, of what to expect of her ministry. After all, they point to the huge achievements recorded by the hitherto ministry of communications, which saw the real take off, and huge growth of telecom in the country. If we are basking in the glory of having achieved over 90 million mobile phone subscriptions today, it is to the credit of the defunct ministry of communications and those who ran it at the time, chief among them, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, whose tenure as minister can be regarded as the most eventful – for that was the ever green days, when millions of Nigerians who never thought they could have access to or touch a mobile phone, saw a new dawn and breathed the air of freedom.

Today, the game is totally different; or, should be totally different. The last five months has been a time of much talking by the new Minister of Communication Technology; and, it is time to remind her that Nigerians cannot wait for too long – for the results that they very much expect to start rolling in. After all, she mounted the ministry full of hope because she is an expert in the same industry she had been appointed to oversee.

Nigerians don’t want to hear about broadband penetration and broadband technology; Nigerians want to experience broadband in its full bloom. And, how do they experience it unless Mrs. Johnson and her team deliver the dividends? And, as we enter the New Year, Nigerians rightly deserve to get the results, to feel the impact and to experience the working of broadband in their environment – in full. They are saying: don’t tell us about broadband; give us broadband!

We are reminded that when mobile telephony was introduced into the country, there was practically not much talk by the then ministry of communications. All the ministry did, through the Nigerian Communications Commission, was formulate a policy direction, organise an auction exercise, give out the licences, and the rest is history: the companies that won the licences simply went to town, and the people felt the impact of that movement like a tsunami. What is the Ministry of Communication Technology doing or going to do this year 2012 on broadband? Will it be just another year of talking, of promises, of missed targets, of mere hopes and aspirations, of ‘fashioning out’ what is to be done? Or will it be a year when Nigerians can feel the full impact of broadband?

Mrs. Johnson’s ministry has been well helped already; with the landing of submarine cables by private investors – MainOne, Glo 1 and WACS – her ministry does not need to shop for companies to deliver such very crucial infrastructure that will be the backbone for broadband spread in the country. In fact only last December, an agency under her ministry, the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Ltd, launched a replacement satellite. All these infrastructural investments are to give Mrs. Johnson as minister a lot of comfort zone to spring from.

As this can rightly be termed the broadband era, what seems to have come out of the ministry has at best been broadband talk; there has not yet been any policy direction on the broadband action that the populace should expect to feel – not just hear.

That is to say, in practical terms, by the end of this year 2012, we should be able to measure where broadband has reached in Nigeria; just like we were able to measure how many mobile phone connections Nigeria had one year after the commencement of GSM in the country.

In an earlier piece this column had rallied support of all industry stakeholders for the new ministry; but this support cannot be given in a vacuum. Industry operators can only work based on a clearly defined policy direction; they can only lend their support when they see an inclusive leadership; they can only follow when the light is shown and the direction pointed out. Granted, they can contribute and make suggestions; but what will this amount to if either their advice is not sought, or where they offer it, such advice is not taken? And this runs from industry operators to even ministerial aides to functionaries in agencies within the ministry. Is the minister listening to advice?

Are we going to have a broadband policy? Are we going to have a broadband stimulus package? Are we going to have a broadband direction? Are we going to have licences auctioned or given out as new moves specifically for broadband rollout? Or are we just going to sit down, make comments at conferences, paint Nigeria as the haven for telecom investment each time there is an international conference; yet once back home, we recoil into the four walls of our offices and forget what must be done? These are just a few questions that Mrs. Johnson must provide answers to as we enter the New Year.

Let it be said that in an earlier era, mobile telephony reigned supreme; and the ministers who were in charge then, deservedly took glory for that quantum leap. But let it be said by the end of 2012 and further on, that this time, this era, the era of broadband, Mrs. Johnson and her team delivered broadband. But it can only be delivered when some action – practical action – is seen to be taking place. And this action can come in various ways; but it must begin with one specific way: by formulating and publishing a policy on broadband – we’ve not yet seen this.

Comments from the industry and from the general public indicate very clearly that Nigerians are still in the dark what broadband is all about. If you talk about mobile phone, they can touch and feel it. In fact, they can easily tell you of the days of yore – of nought-nine-nought; when it was for the rich only. Then, practically, they saw the mobile phone in its full glory – no; they did not just see it; they experienced – and are still experiencing – the mobile phone in its full use, with all the attendant benefits, practically from 2001. That has done one full decade. And, like a relay race, the baton has been passed on, to broadband; and also passed on, to Mrs. Johnson and her ministry. Will they fail us by giving us just a talking game?

To where will she and her ministry take us by the time we are singing another Christmas carol in December 2012 and awaiting another New Year?

After their cherished experiences with the mobile phone, Nigerians are no longer patient with any so-called policy or programme that will take forever to formulate or its impact to be felt. They want it now, now, now; and, who says they don’t deserve to have the benefits of any programme right away?

So, the call as we open a new chapter with 2012, is: Minister Johnson and the Ministry of Communication Technology, can we move from talking to acting? Nigerians await broadband results and impact. At least let’s begin from somewhere.