Telecommunications Problem

Telecommunications in Nigeria(Dr. G.A. Alabi)

1.0 INTRODUCTION1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON NIGERIAThe Federal Republic of Nigeria is a tropical country on the West African Coast along the Gulf of Guinea, with the Republic of Benin to the West , Niger to the North, Chad to the North-East and Cameroon to the East and South-East.The climate is tropical. In the South, the average annual temperature is about 32oc, with high humidity and the average annual rainfall above 3,800mm in parts of the South-East. It is drier and semi-tropical in the North, and the average annual rainfall may be as low as 625mm.Nigeria covers an area of some 923,769 sq.km, and situated between latitudes 4oand 14oN of the equator. In some parts of the country, latitude tends to modify the high humid and hot temperature associated with tropical rain-forest regions.The vegetation ranges from rain forest in the south, through deciduous forest to grasslands dotted with shrubs which finally shades into the dry desert regions. Within the past few decades, desert encroachment has threatened human and cattle life in the northern - most parts of the country. The southern part is characterised by undulating hills, occasionally rising to as high as 3000 to 5,000 meters in some places. The northern part shows the same features but rising to a plateau in the centre and north-eastern part of the country to about 8,000 metres above sea level.The two major rivers transversing the country are Rivers Niger and Benue, in a confluence at Lokoja, from where they flow through a series of creeks in the delta region into the Atlantic Ocean. Other inland drainage areas and important rivers are Cross-River, Imo River, Kaduna River, and Lake Chad.1.1.1 Demographic and Cultural DiversityThe peoples of Nigeria are many and varied. They include the Fulanis, the Yorubas, Hausas, Igbos and a large number of Northern and Southern ethnic groups. These variations have combined to produce a very rich admixture of cultures and art, which form the heritage of modern Nigeria.The Nigeria census in 1963 recorded a total of 55.670.055. There was another census in 1973, but the results were never published. In 1984, the population of Nigeria was officially estimated at over 94 million. Nigeria's population today is put at about 100,000,000 on a land mass of approximately 930,000sq. kms. It is a Federation of thirty states and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The climatic conditions range from wet and humid in the South to dry and hot in the North.There have been suggestions that more than 45% of the Nigerian populace are under 20 years old and are still of school going age. This has put a lot of pressure on the educational systems of the country, and eventually on the labour market. The economy is therefore being planned to grow fast enough to provide jobs for the many school leavers annually.Furthermore, the rural-to-urban migration has been found to be growing daily and thus creating unprecedented problems of health and housing, transportation, law and order. This puts a lot of pressures on the delivery systems for these social services. In spite of this, majority of Nigerians still live in rural areas, living on subsistence farming, trading, rural industries, and crafts.1.1.2 Some Telecommunication Information on NigeriaThe total number of subscribers to telephone lines as at the end of December 1986 was put at around 230,000 while Telex subscribers were only 5,300 in number. Total installed capacity for telephone then was 320,834 and telex 11,577. The percentage utilisation for telephone therefore was 71.6 per cent while telex was approximately 45.7 per cent. However, modernity in telecommunications has provided facilities that make for new class of service, improved revenue generation with properly reviewed tariff policy. Now, in 1996, the country has almost 1,000,000 subscribers to telephone lines all of which are handled by standard A antennae facing both the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean Regions installed at four (4 NO.) different geographical locations across the country. Nigeria operates a Domestic Satellite System by leasing three (3 No.) transponders from INTELSAT which are accessed by nineteen (19 No.) Standard B earth stations in some state capitals of the Federation. There is a Territorial Manager responsible for Telecommunications Administration in each state except Lagos state where because of the relatively large number of switching centres and subscribers in the metropolis, it was considered prudent to have at least two (2No.) Territorial managers.Nigeria embraced Digital Technology since the 1980s with the introduction of Digital Switches and Transmission Systems (Radio and Optic fibre) into the network. Since the beginning of the 90s, Mobile Telephone Services (Cellular), Paging and Electronic Mail have also been part of the services offered by NITEL (Nigerian Telecommunications Plc). NITEL now has an X.25 and X.40 switching facilities in its network. Today however, to a population of One hundred million (100m), the figure of more than half a million telephone lines in the country means in effect, a very low telephone density ratio; though the country has the largest number of telephones in any one country in Africa.1.1.3Economic and Socio-Political Climate of NigeriaThe importance of communication in any country whether developed or developing is so obvious. In fact the inter-relationship between the economic development of a country and effective telecommunication services is so interwoven that it is difficult to tell which one comes first. Suffice it to say however, that most developed nations have the more developed telecommunications infrastructures and services. While the inhabitants of the developed world look forward to enjoying the full benefits of the so-called "Information Society" by the year 2000, the situation in the developing world is the opposite. For example, it is well known that the city of Tokyo has more telephones than the whole of the continent of Africa with a population of 500 million.This type of disparity, coupled with the interest of common humanity, led the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to seek ways and means of not only bridging the gap but also enabling humanity, as a whole, to cooperate towards a common goal of telecommunications service within easy reach of all people at the turn of the century. One of these ITU efforts (2) culminated in the Resolution (No.20) adopted by the Plenipotentiary Conference of ITU in Nairobi, 1982, which called for the establishment of "an International Commission for worldwide telecommunications development.The Resolution mandated the Commission, inter alia, "to recommend a range of methods including novel ones for stimulating telecommunications development in the developing world using appropriate and proven technologies in ways which would:a) serve the mutual interest of governments, operating companies, the public and specialised user groups in the developing world and of the public and private sectors in the developed world; andb) lead to progressive achievement of self-reliance in the developing world and the narrowing of the gap between the developing and developed countries".The Independent Commission for Worldwide Telecommunications Development, which was set up, eventually submitted its report, titled the "Missing Link" which is famous for its contents and recommendations on world telecommunications development especially in the developing world.(3) The ITU felt it necessary that after the submission of the report, a World Telecommunications Development Conference should be held to go through it.This Conference (4) was held and brought together Members of the Union at ministerial level to study and exchange views on the many aspects of the report of the Independent commission that had national government policy implications. This was the first Conference of its kind and it reflected the importance that the ITU gives to telecommunications development particularly in the developing countries.The Conference adopted on 30th May, 1985 the Arusha Declaration which, in many ways, was expected to help in the bridging of the telecommunications gap, if conscientiously implemented.In addition to the Arusha Declaration, it is pertinent to also recall the Lagos Plan of Action for the Economic Development of Africa which incorporated in its programme of action, the Transport and communications Decade for Africa which aimed at rapidly developing the transport and communications infrastructure of the continent to respond to the political, economic and social aspirations of the continent. Furthermore, an Africa Telecommunications Development Conference was also organised by ITU on behalf of the Panaftel Coordinating Committee, in Tunis, Tunisia, from January 12 to 16, 1987. It dealt with various aspects of telecommunications development plans in Africa.(5)In the pre-colonial days, Nigerians lived under political systems with varying degrees of sophistication in terms of organisation and management of their own affairs.In 1960, Nigeria became an independent country. Since independence, Nigeria as a nation has experienced frequent political changes. It has had eleven governments of which seven have been military and four civilian. Presently, Nigeria is having a military government.The colonial infrastructures vis-a-vis roads, railways, telecommunication, system of administration, language and common rules of commerce, educational institutions and colonial townships-have al helped to rub the rural Nigerians of their tribal nature and made them available for the development of the new nation.Urban areas have continued to grow and telecommunication facilities are increasing at a tremendous rate; educational institutions are growing and attracting more and more young people to come into contact with one another. Associations and other professional bodies are recruiting membership on the basis of achievements. All these augur well for a nation in the making.Economic development during the colonial era, under the British, supported the production of raw materials and tropical products like palm-oil, palm-kernel, rubber, cocoa, groundnut, groundnut oil, and timber, and also minerals for export.Since the discovery of oil in 1970, oil has come to dominate the whole economy and trade of Nigeria.In the Second Development Plan 1970-74, the role of the government was reviewed and stated explicitly. The rationale for the government role in the economy was stated as follows:..."that progress would be faster, if the nation is motivated in its economic activity by a common sound purpose. Effective coordination ..... easier when they all subscribe to a common goal and operate under a common impetus(1).For a long time, the influence of the government in the economy has been all pervading, not restricted to the traditional areas of providing infrastructural support, law and order, but has made direct investments via its numerous publicly owned corporations, companies and joint ventures in the direct production of some goods.The foundation of the modern economy of Nigeria was laid during the implementation of the 2nd Development Plan. The 3rd Development Plan 1975 - 1980 adopted the objectives of the 2nd Plan and also adopted the following implementing and measurable objectives:i) Increase in per capita incomeii) More even distribution incomeiii) Reduction in the level of unemploymentiv) Increase in the supply of high level manpowerv) diversification of the economyvi) Balanced dietvii) Indigenization of economic activityThe third plan was aided by OPEC and sustained favourable balance of payments positions, then.The execution of the 3rd Development Plan recorded significant achievement in various fields of the economy. But due to some operational problems and many other reasons, the performance fell short of the high expectations prevailing at the outset of the plan.With the introduction of the 4th Development Plan which coincided with the return of the civilian rule under a new Presidential type constitution, almost immediately the oil prices and demand started to fall and the expected revenue declined.With the introduction of SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) in 1986, as compared with the pre-early 1980s there was renewed interest in making use of local technological resources with increased local sourcing of industrial raw materials. The increased renewed interest was due to some factors which included political interest in self-reliance and the need of finding production techniques more appropriate to distributional and employment objectives. SAP, though increased the local sourcing of industrial raw materials in Nigeria, has not contributed significantly to the technological development of the country mainly because of the increased local cost of importing those inputs that cannot yet be produced locally. One major problem is the shortage of machinery and spare parts, since very limited capacity exist in Nigeria for local fabrication of the simplest machine, and equipment with the result that even the machine designed or adapted by research institutes were hardly commercialised.Inadequate or ineffective dissemination and use of information is assumed to be responsible for the slow pace of industrial development in Nigeria. For rapid industrialization, dissemination of usable research findings to industrialists in the language and format they understand is one major factor. The inability of the publication and utilization of research findings has also resulted in a considerable proportion of researchers carrying out activities which have very little or no relevance to science and technology and industrial developments.1.1.4 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS AND THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMWhile the existence of information does not necessarily ensure its use, the real value of an information system lies in the servicing of specific user needs. In order to solve this problem, and hoist the country on the path of greater technological and overall socio-economic development as well as create a new lease of life for the citizenry, a planned increase in penetration of telecommunications services has been seen as a welcome development for national growth.Every human society, from the most primitive to the most advanced, depends on some form of telecommunications network. It will be virtually impossible for any group of people to define their collective identities or make decisions about their common and binding interests, without communications. Communication networks make society a reality.It makes it possible for people to cooperate, to produce and exchange commodities, to share ideas and information and to assist one another in times of need.Indeed, every facet of the basic rights is dependent on telecommunication. Such basic rights of the individual as the right to life, the right to personal liberty and dignity, the right to free expression and information and the right to free movement, all of which enhance the quality of life of the individual, are facilitated by telecommunications.Electronic Communications involve the process by which messages are sent across the globe through the use of the computer, telephone line and a modem. Unlike the fax system which allows one page of text to be transmitted at a time, electronic communication facility allows several pages to be processed off-line and through a single dialling, it allows these several pages of messages to be transmitted to a gateway where they can be distributed to their various destinations.Furthermore, electronic communication involves any of several forms of information exchange between two or more computers through any of several methods of interconnection such as telephone line, optical fibre, satellite or radio. This communication mode is rapidly spreading throughout the world as a fast, reliable and in most applications, an inexpensive form of communication. It is fast and inexpensive because it can use existing public telephone lines, a dedicated (leased) line or via microwave radio frequency.The foregoing is indicative of the requirements necessary to induce a meaningful development of telecommunications infrastructure in Africa.1.1.5 The Geopolitical Structrue of NITELThis section of this report examines geopolitical structure and policy phasing and its implications on the pursuit of profit and social services objectives including national interest and unit within the framework of telecommunications policy in Nigeria. Geopolitics in its generic sense attempts to explain world political developments in terms of geographic space. It emphasizes fact of physical and economic geography seen either as opportunities or limitations in the pursuit of specific goals and objectives.The geopolitical structure and policy phasing is also well demarcated when we examine the functions and roles of which the Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) was set up. NITEL was established to provide efficient telecommunications services to all parts of the Federation and to link Nigeria with all parts of the world with emphasis on those countries maintaining strong economic and political relations with Nigeria. In its external services, it was also mandated to give priority to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region and other independent African States as a reflection of Nigeria's foreign policy.On domestic telecommunications services and the implications of pursuing multiple objectives, i.e. socio-political and economic policies on the operations of NITEL, the enormous difficulties in evolving and implementing telecommunications policies and programmes in Nigeria became apparent when consideration is given to the large size and regional distribution of the country's population and the structure of the country's rural settlements. An effective coverage of all parts of the Federation in the supply of telecommunications services depended on resource availability and effective planning and co-ordination of the systems network as well as efficient management and technical operations. Telecommunications is a capital intensive industry. However, with resource constraints, a phased approach to network expansion was adopted. This called for sound investment decisions, technological and management innovations, operational and financial efficiency and generation of profits sufficient enough to efficiently maintain and expand telecommunications services to all parts of the Federation.Prior to 1985, the internal and external telecommunications services were provided and managed by two distinct organisations, namely the Posts and Telecommunications Department, for internal services and the Nigerian External Telecommunications Ltd for external services. This situation was fraught with problems. The Posts and Telecommunications Department consisted of two dissimilar businesses with different operating objectives and environments. The Postal Service was essentially social in outlook. As telecommunications on the whole is a commercial operation, there were difficulties in the management of these two services to the detriment of the public interest of having good communications facilities. Further, the existence of separate organisations for the management of the internal and external telecommunications networks did not augur well for efficient national telecommunications network because of lack of co-ordination that existed between the two operating entities in development planning, project phasing, implementation, operation, maintenance and billing. This separate existence of the operating entities often resulted in duplication in investment with consequential heavy demand on scarce national financial and human resources for telecommunication development. It also affected the promotion of cross subsidisation from the more lucrative international sector to the not-so-lucrative domestic sector which was beset with problems arising from logistics and maintenance due to, among other things equipment spread.Organisational problems were not the only one that retarded telecommunication development efforts in Nigeria. Others including the following, deserve special mention:a) The planned objective could not always be achieved due mainly to shortage of funds, inadequate executive technical manpower and uncoordinated project management.b) Rapid advancement in technology is making the procurement of spare parts for maintenance of existing systems a costly undertaking as these were then obtainable from fewer sources than before.c) Lack of equipment standardisation which created problems of spare parts stocking.d) The inadequacy of the tariff, at times, has made generation of revenue to cater for recurrent capital expenditure and future development difficult.e) Lack of future plan, information and needs from local government areas.f) Lack of co-ordination of infrastructural planning.(g) Poorly defined and discontinuous policies on national development plans.The net effect of these problems was constant failure to attain planned targets and poor performance of the telecommunications undertaking in the country.It is pertinent, however, to point out that these problems are being tackled within the limits of the authority and resources of the new organisation, NITEL. For example, plans have been completed to start the establishment of standards for equipment operation and architecture, while at the same time the tariff is being reviewed to reflect the reality of the present-day operational costs. The NITEL organisation is such that it is now very easy to contact local government areas for information about their development plans where these exist. Also, efforts are being made to follow up equipment standardisation with local manufacture of telecommunications equipment. In fact, the centralisation of the control of the international and domestic services has led to an improvement in the operation and maintenance of the national network and the situation is such that NITEL is now able to pay all salaries from its earnings.Telecommunications is both dynamic and capital intensive and in view of its catalystic effect on the development of other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, health, tourism and education and its necessity for the commercial, industrial, socio-economic and political development of the country, the need for an orderly and efficient development of telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria has now been found more urgent in order to keep pace with the development of the other sectors of the economy.The overall national objective on telecommunications may be stated in general terms as the provision of modern, efficient, reliable and adequate telecommunications services in the country subject to the constraints of available resources. In addition to the overall national objective, there are several sub-objectives which deal with specific aspects of telecommunications such as types of services to be provided, quality or service, operational and equipment standards, etc. These objectives have often led to a set of policies within the framework of the national policy.At the national level, the general objectives are; to promote an orderly and efficient development of telecommunications, and to promote the provision of efficient public telecommunication services in Nigeria. In the fulfilment of these objectives, decisions have been taken on certain issues, some of which are:-Legislation of Telecommunications;Role of Government;Rights of Citizens;Competitions and Monopoly;National Security, etc.1.2 The Nigerian Society and the Information SectorIn some of the present thirty states in Nigeria, the proportion of rural urban dwellers is estimated at over 75% but, generally, Nigeria claims an average of about 70%. Some 80% of these inhabitants are engaged in agriculture and other extractive subsectors, that is, nearly three-fifths of the total population are engaged in the primary activities of growing food (and mining).Significantly, the agriculture sector in the United States of America employed 44% of that country's population some 100 years ago, but only 2% of the population is today engaged in feeding the entire nation (and exporting food also). A two -sector aggregation of the same American labour force data translates to 92% of all USA workers engaged in non-information activities in 1880, and 8% in the information sector. Today, the population engaged in the information sector is about equal to that in all the other sectors put together, that is about 50%.Similar changes are reported in other industrialised societies, as in Europe. These countries are said to have arrived at the Information Age or the Post-industrial Age, which is assumed generally to have begun in the 1960's with the discovery of the transistor.The information Society is characterised by certain relevant dimensions, including:the change from a goods producing to a service society;the centrality of theory in technological innovations (as against intuitive inventiveness and craft); andthe application of decision rules in place of intuitive judgements, as in modern management of systems (analysis), organisations and enterprises.Subsequent sections of this report examine the ways information and communication are being introduced into the economic and social development of the country.1.3 Telecommunications and Economic Development: Challenges andOpportunities.Telecommunications are a key infrastructure of economic and social development for the second half of the 21stcentury. They provide, as facilitator, an enabling condition for carrying on the dominant pursuits of the modern day, namely, of the Information Age. Two types of information business can be identified: the first is associated information, such as derives from the need to transact businesses related to the primary and secondary occupations of extracting (agriculture and mining) and manufacturing. The second is a commodity that is based on information and knowledge.During the first 50 or so years of the telephone, it was devoted to serving the needs of the traditional economic (and social) sectors, for moving goods from source to consumer. The objective of development in switched or two-way telecommunications was almost entirely the universal penetration of the Plain Old Telephone (POT). The telephone was invaluable for carrying out voice communication over short and long distances. In this circumstance, it was not the agricultural and mining sectors of the economy that called for the most use of the POT but, rather, the manufacturing, distributive and management subsectors.Where manufacturing is weak, however, as with rural communities and most third-world nations, the penetration of the ordinary voice telephone was expectedly low.It is clear that the African countries are grossly underwired and their telecommunications facilities quite clearly underdeveloped. An analysis, showing the correlation between national GDP and telephone density revealed the link between economic affluence and the penetration of telecommunications. It is only of academic interest as claimed by Maduka whether it is affluence that came before the telephone or it is the telephone that created the affluence. By treating telecommunications as an infrastructure, the notion is that wealth and affluence can thereby be enhanced, but a quick evaluation of the cost of the telephone line shows that it probably requires an affluent economy to pay for the minimum UN recommended telephone density, of one line per 100 inhabitants. Today, the Nigerian statistic is about 0.66 lines per 100 inhabitants. A combination of the latest census figure and the drastic devaluation of the Nigerian currency (Naira) value is naturally of considerable interest and interpretation to different professionals and scholars.In the Information Society, information is also a stand-alone commodity, not merely associated with primary or industrial production, but essentially with services, including communication itself. The range of these services includes messengering, broadcasting, advertising, news services, databases, financial and several other professional services. The computer falls in the centre of this rapidly developing information business and the countries which have attained this tertiary or information stage of occupation have large telephone densities. At this point in time, it would be difficult to try to identify a threshold for this stage to be attained. Workers in this stage are finding the POT rather inadequate for the high demands which they now place on telecommunications. They need to be freed from the short cable or leash on the telephone instrument, hence the cordless phone; they have to be reached anywhere (mobile), they manage their time critically (voice/electronic mail) and the need to access large masses of data at high speed, for decision-making in the highly competitive world of modern global business.1.4 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY1.4.1Background InformationTechnology development refers to the translation of research results into goods and services as well as improvement on existing technologies based on cost and effective evaluation.Science and Technology have become critical factors of economic and social development. Through their application, it has become possible to harness the forces of nature and to transform the raw material resources with which nature endows man into goods and services for better quality of life. Indeed, the extent to which a nation is committed to this awareness and integrates science and technology practice into the socio-cultural activities of its people marks the difference between developed, developing and under-developed nations. The developed world has attained technological sophistry, by exploiting science and technology to create wealth, save human energy and provide technical services. A country like Japan which has very little natural resources but depends on importation of raw materials from other countries has, through efficient application of science and technology transformed these materials into goods and services and now dominate world markets. On the other hand, the developing countries have economies which are very dependent on the industrialised world, because they have not on their own been able to adequately use science and technology to exploit their natural resources. They possess abundant resources but lack adequate scientific and technological know-how to transform them into goods and services.1.4.2The Status of S & T in NigeriaNigeria is a developing country, yet on the threshold of industrialisation. The industrial and service sector is still heavily dependent on importation of machinery from overseas countries to keep the wheels of industry going.The maintenance of these machines, in most cases, is also provided by external experts. This situation is also very true for the telecommunications sector. Telecommunications development in Nigeria so far is wholly dependent on foreign technologies. In most cases, investment by multinationals has meant a mere relocation of facilities without the transfer of ability to innovate since all the elements of technology required to make telecommunication succeed are most often transferred in a package. The main constraint to rapid telecommunications development in Nigeria has therefore been attributed to lack of science and technology capacity for:i) plant construction and installation;ii) fabrication of plant and machinery;iii) technical and managerial activities;iv) operation and maintenance of facilities.The transfer of the above elements in a package has reverted Nigeria from utilising local resources for some of them or developing new competence in other critical areas. Another constraint to telecommunications development in Nigeria is the inadequacy of science and technology infrastructure including S & T Manpower, S & T Information, engineering services, materials, instruments and apparatus for training scientists and technologists in telecommunications. Limited dissemination and utilization of research results in telecommunications practice in Nigeria has also been identified as a definite constraint to telecommunication development. Results of research in engineering, electronics and solid state physics in the Universities and Research Institutes are not being fully utilised to develop local capability in telecommunication services and in maintenance, adaptation and integration of new equipment with existing ones.Another major constraint was once identified as obsolete switching and transmission equipment. Many of the existing exchanges and cable network are obsolete and therefore liable to frequent breakdowns. The demands on maintenance have been more tasking due to the technical limitations inherent in the design and difficulties in obtaining the spares of the equipment which are no longer in production. Also, another factor that militated against telecommunications development is lack of co-ordination and proper planning in projects implementation. Poor studies on project scope and costs resulted in implementation of projects of doubtful economic viability, in some cases, which were later abandoned midstream involving huge economic losses.The problem of maintenance and operation of telecommunications services was later aggravated by the proliferation of technologies and the lack of technical standards. Not less than five types of automatic switching equipment are currently in use in the country. Even within the same city, several types of switching equipment have been installed. This presents problems in respects of spare parts for maintenance. Standardisation of network equipment in Nigeria has therefore not yet been totally achieved and this imposes additional strains by creating inflexibility in the use of manpower and spare parts.2.0 TELECOMMUNICATIONS NEEDS, PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTSThe long term goal of a telecommunication enterprise is not only to be self-financing but also to generate a reasonable return on investment. To achieve this goal, there must be careful consideration of the sources of investment and the conditions that are attached to them. Its long term interests should always be kept in mind in the choice of sources of capital which ideally should be diverse and a combination of different sources.It is generally believed that the telecommunication enterprise should have a pricing and tariff policy that is consistent with national objectives set by the government and the cost of providing the services. It is only normal that returns from some partS of the network should subsidise shortfalls that may occur in other parts of the network, such as in the case of rural areas. This norm has always been observed in Nigeria. In addition, mechanisms are essential for identifying the need for investment projects, for evaluating them, for predicting accurately what they will cost and for determining priorities for their execution. Happily enough, the procurement procedures often embarked upon in Nigeria secure an optimum balance between low initial cost, reliability and running cost like maintenance and power.2.1. THE STATE OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE INNIGERIA2.1.1 Research and DevelopmentSince Nigeria's independence on October 1, 1960, up till 1995, only four national development plans were executed under the Ministry of Communications supervision, and these plans provided about 400,000 installed direct exchange lines (DEL). In 1992, barely seven years after NITEL (Plc) was established, new technologies - electro-magnetic digital, satellite fibre optic, INMARSAT, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) -were introduced into the national networks. Up till 1989, all the exchanges and transmission facilities were of analogue system. Nitel has now successfully introduced the digital system into the network with a total of over 160,000 digital lines since this operation started a couple of years ago. Apart from providing a number of improved telecommunication facilities to the populace, Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) Plc, has been recently identified as housing the most suitable computer communications for the use of the South Investment Trade and Technology Exchange Centre (SITTDEC), a collaboration of the G15 countries working to facilitate South-South co-operation with its headquarters in Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia. The Centre's mission is principally to foster and promote investments, trade and technology in the South countries by providing relevant, authoritative and accessible information to governments, organisations, corporations and individuals in the south countries.The network capacity of NITEL's 450,516 lines in 1991 was increased to 600,000 at the end of 1992 and to about 1,000,000 at the end of 1995 and it has continued to grow since.One of the NITEL's most significant achievements between 1990 and 1993 was that up to 60% of the total of about N12 billion invested in the provision of the digital exchanges, transmission links, gateways, and cellular telephone system, was from the company's internally generated revenue. The first time that NITEL's services were going wire-less was when the mobile cellular telephone system services were introduced. The cellular systems introduction into Nigeria was the first of its kind in Africa, South of the Sahara. Across the country today, about a quarter of the total number of telephone lines is of the digital system. NITEL's Research and Development (R & D) which was put in place in 1992 to develop and improve system components to suit the environment and put NITEL in the fore-front of information technology, has continued to assist NITEL forge ahead in its operations. In line with this development, a joint venture agreement to provide data communications services known as DATANET was negotiated with SATCOM. In 1992, a Rural Telecommunications programme which it intended to sustain as part of its contribution to overall national economic growth was also introduced.More importantly, research and development in NITEL has ben strategically designed to identify and develop solutions to technical problems as the launching pad for technological self-reliance and the introduction of new services. The shift of its R&D efforts from purely theoretical to applied research has now enabled NITEL to design and fabricate systems that are tailored to Nigeria's environmental conditions. Collaborative arrangements were also made with Universities and other Research Institutions. These collaborative efforts led to the design, development and fabrication of devices and systems on up-to-date technology by NITEL, one of which is the Cable Theft Alarm Device.During the first quarter of 1993, the voice mail, the paging system, trunked radio, and phone card were introduced by NITEL. 15,000 voice mail lines, 100,000 pagers and trunked radio were provided. The voice mail can be accessed from anywhere in Nigeria or other countries throughout the world by using the cellular telephone or touch-tone telephone. For now, there are three kinds of pagers available and only Lagos and Abuja are within the coverage areas of paging services. This means that messages can be sent to or from anywhere in the world within these areas. Some of the advantages of a pager include the freedom of users to go anywhere within the coverage area and be reached, i.e. a pagersubscriber in Lagos and Abuja can receive messages from anywhere in the world at any time.The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is another technological feat which made it possible to employ a range of services via one telephone line. The services included were electronic mail, video telephone [tele-conferencing], telefax, etc. NITEL Research and Development [R & D] efforts also supported the evolution of a maintenance philosophy which enabled NITEL to do away with the services of contractors in system maintenance. For instance, NITEL staff designed and fabricated loop converter modules, which used to be imported at higher costs, to meet the demand for private networks based on leased and Special circuits. The cellular is also being used by NITEL to provide celluphonetelecommunications services to some local government areas in support of Federal Government efforts towards rural development.2.1.2 NETWORK EXPANSION BY NITELThe network expansion which NITEL embarked upon recently was to add about 510,000 direct exchange lines between 1993 and 1996. This represented more than 100% increase in the network capacity within 4 years. To ensure that all local government headquarters in the country without telecommunication services are provided with services, for a start, a number of local government councils in parts of the nation are now being linked with celluphone by NITEL. The project called National Telecommunication Improvement Project (NTIP) was to provide additional 74,000 lines. The Nigerian Telecommunications engineers and technicians have alsoenhanced adaptation of a number of equipment such as the old Pentomat T600 equipment.This has contributed positively to the increase in revenue generated and also enhanced the performance of this and other equipment.Prior to May 1992, Nigeria's telephone services were restricted to conventional telephone and telex/telegram. With the NITEL now a fully commercialized autonomous company, there is now a tremendous restructuring of the telecommunications industry in the country and management rationalization for accelerated telecommunications.Now, management of telecommunications development in Nigeria is organised at three hierarchical levels, namely:Policy developments.Regulations (by Nigerian Communications Commission established by Decree No. 75 of December 31st, 1992) andCarriers/operators by Nitel Plc.NITEL currently provides a variety of other services which include the following:Private Leased Telephone and Telex ServicesLeased Telephone and Telegraph ServicesAlternate Voice Data (AVD) CircuitData Switching SystemElectronic Mail (National Service Only)X.25 SwitchX.40 Electronic MessagesHowever, despite the above significant achievements, many users have always experienced some difficulties with NITEL's facilities.In essence, the following areas of application have further been identified in the telecommunication system in Nigeria.TelephoneTelegraph and TelexRadio linksTelevision and phototelegraphic transmission.The technologies involved in the operation of the services outlined above are hereby discussed under two major systems: Terrestrial and Satellite.For terrestrial communication, the technologies involved include Wire-on-Pole, Co-axial Cable and Point to Point Microwave. The Wire-on-Pole system has been found to be very inadequate in meeting telecommunication needs of the country. Worse still, unscrupulous elements in the society sometimes disconnect the wire, for conversion to copper, which is of high market value. This system is also subjected to and destroyed by severe weather conditions. e.g. heavy rainfall or windstorm or occasionally during bush burning and felling of trees.The co-axial cable system was used for the purpose of linking the South to the North of the country. During the rainy season the cables usually get soaked and performance level fell to less than 30 per cent. It was therefore discarded because of this inadequacy. Nigeria is now concentrating on the microwave link. The greatest disadvantage of this technology, however, is that it requires so many links because of the earth's curvature. Therefore, it requires so many repeater stations which are located in the bush usually in isolated areas and with isolated power generating units. These are very expensive and are also exposed to damage, thereby increasing the cost due to frequent changes.3.0. TYPES OF DATA COMMUNICATION FACILITIES AT NITEL AND IN SOME NCC REGISTERED ORGANISATIONSAt the National Communications Commission (NCC), it was observed that, as of 1993, just about forty (40) private telecommunications operators were licensed by the Commission. However, because of the awareness of the use of telecommunications for development, more than 250 companies have now been licensed as at the end of December 1995 while not less than 1000 prospective applicants have collected application forms at 1,000.00 (One thousand naira) each, waiting to be licensed to carry out one telecommunication activity or the other.The activities for which these private companies are applying, are grouped under:1. Sale and installation of high calibre terminal equipment such as Satellites, High Frequency (HF) Radio facilities.2. Operation of Payphones3. Sale and installation of Mobile Communication such as:a. Cellularb. Pagingc. Voice mail, etc4. Provision of Community Telecommunications' withExchanges.5. Provision of Value-Added Network Services6. Repair and Maintenance of Telecommunications Facilities.7. Cabling.From the above general operations, the following specific services were identified as currently being offered by the Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) PLC and some agencies providing similar services: These services include:i) Telephone Services* Telephone* Telephone with IDD* Public Payphone* Call Office and Public Counter Services* Operator Assistance* Operator Information Servicesii) Telex Services* Internal Telex* International Telex* Telex Delivery Services (TDS)* Gentex Serviceiii) Telegraph Services* Telegraph (Internal)* International Telegraph* Registered Telegraph Address (RTA)* Phonogram* Telemessagesiv) Specialised Services* Leased Circuits* Private Wire* Alternate Voice Data Circuits* Private/Limited Networks* Transmission and Reception of Real Time Television for Network Programmesv) Value-Added Services* Cellular Mobile Telephone* Voice Mail* Trunked Radio* Pagingvi) Other Services* Voice Cast and Press Reception* NIFAX Service* Television Standard Conversion* International Mobile Satellite Communication (INMARSAT)* Telecommunications Training Facilities* Compatibility Tests* Calibrationvii) Data switching System (New Services)* Electronic Mail (National Service Only)* Press Reception and Broadcast* Word/Data Processing* X.25 Switch* X.40 Electronic Messages* Teleconferencing* Air traffic Sub-system* International and Local Card Payphone* International Transitviii) Biznetix) Hardware* Cable Theft Security Devices* Digital PABX* Manhole Water Detector* TV AntennaWith the above being the specific telecommunication activities, the next step discusses the media for the operation of the services. Thes services are usually carried out through:SatelliteLeased LinesRadio (HF or VHF)Dial-upThe country started embracing Digital Technology since the 1980s with the introduction of Digital Switches and Transmission Systems (Radio and Optic fibre) into the telecommunications network. Since the beginning of the 90s, Mobile Telephone Services (Cellular), Paging and Electronic Mail have been part of the services offered by NITEL which, hitherto enjoyed the monopoly of Telecommunications services provisions, operations and maintenance until 1992, when a decree establishing the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), liberalised terminal ends equipment and value added services for competition and private sector participation.In order to carry out the above services the following facilities currently exist in the country:* INTELSAT leased global transborder channels.* INMARSAT Satellite Access.* 34 Kbps NITEL wide and digital microwaveLagos - Ijebu-Ode - Benin - AbujaLagos - Ijebu-Ode - Benin - Onitsha - Enugu* 140 Kbps broad band NNPC optical cable and digital microwaveLagos - Benin - WarriLagos - Benin - Lokoja - Kaduna* Extensive NITEL Analogue nationwide circuits. (See Figures 1 and 2)Listed below are the various media through which some of the telecommunications facilities are delivered to the populace in the country. These include those services that are provided by NITEL as well as those that are commercially available on a large scale basis. They include:1. Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) ServicesVSAT is a technology which enables the extension of domestic networks across a large national land mass as well as across national frontiers. VSAT systems integrate transmission and switching functions to implement pre-assigned and on-demand assigned links for point-to-point and broadcast networks.The Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services were found to be widely used as alternatives to leased lines and other terrestrial value added services such as X.25/packet switching at significantly lower prices in some organisations in Nigeria. Hosts and terminals are connected directly to the VSAT equipment (earth station) making the need for a satellite central office unnecessary. In contrast to terrestrial trunks, addition of bandwidth is effected easily by the service provider. It can support relatively high bandwidth of 2mbps. VSAT can be configured for broadcast (one-way) or interactive (two-way) data communications.VSAT services have been found to suffer from long network delays caused by the up and down links through the atmosphere and space. The delay is of the order of 250 microseconds compared with 15 microseconds for a typical terrestrial networks. However, VSAT has been proved to have a higher error rate than fibre optics.2. Private WirePrivate wire is a dedicated point-to-point circuit which could be provided over cable or radio link system. This is being provided to customers for private and exclusive use. Private Wire facilities, also called local exchange are dedicated lines or local exchange area leased circuits. It is being provided on Analogue (up to 9.6 kbts) or Digital (up to 64 kbts) speed lines. They are in Two categories:a. Private Wire (Full Time)b. Private Wire (Part Time)3. Temporary Exchange LinesThese are voice grade circuits provided to serve at exhibitions and special events on temporary basis.4. Domestic Leased CircuitThese are dedicated (Leased) circuits within Nigeria. The circuits could be provided on point-to-point or point-to-multi-point as may be required by the customer. Below is a summary of the currently available infrastructure in all the NITEL installations in the country. Table 1 illustrates those infrastructures that are currently available in some states and zonal headquarters of NITEL.Table 1: NITEL FACILITIES AT THE ZONAL OFFICES AND IN SOME STATESSTATES EXCHANGE TYPE REMARKS Abuja FWSD (Siemens) Federal Capital Akwa Ibom Analogue (PC 1000C) Anambra Analogue (PC1000C) East Central HQ of NITEL Bauchi Digital (EWSD) Analogue (NC23OL) North Eastern HQ of NITEL Benue Analogue PC 1000C Borno Digital IEWSD), analogue (PC 1000C) Cross River Analogue (ARF10.Ericsson) Edo Digital (ITT system 12) Imo Analogue (AXE10, Ericsson) Kaduna Digital (Axe 10 Ericsson) analogue (NEC ITSC with Ericsson-Earth 230L) Station. North Western zonal HQ of NITEL Kano Digital (EWSD) Kwara Digital (ITT System 12) Lagos Analogue (ESK 10,000E) at Amuwo Lagos Zonal HQ of NITELNiger Ondo Analogue/Digital Osun Analogue (PC 1000C) Oyo Digital (ITT System 12) South-Western HQ of NITEL Plateau Digital (AxE-10 Ericsson), analogue Rivers Digital (linea UI)

Sokoto Analogue (PC1000c)4.0THE INFOSTRUCTURE FOR INFORMATION/TELECOMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT4.1Research and DevelopmentThere are presently more than 24 Research Institutes in the country. By the nature of their organisation and mandates they play a leading role in the development of raw materials and production methods for industrialisation. Most of them attract experienced scientists, technicians and engineers to carry out the tasks of their respective institutes. A good number of these Research Institutes are also bracing up to those new challenges in local sourcing of raw materials and effecting technological innovations. In addition to the Research Institutes, government parastatals like NITEL, NIPOST, NTA, Railways have also established R & D laboratories and industries for design, fabrication and local production of equipment and spare-parts.The private sector has, until recently, not been forthcoming with technological development in the country. Multinational subsidiaries operating in Nigeria rely more on their parent companies or their associates for R & D instead of developing their own independent facilities locally. While it is accepted that no parent company would give up her immediate advantages by exposing her core technology to her subsidiary in a developing nation for fear of the loss of license fees, loss of a market for spare parts, components and other machinery, this attitude of multinational companies has however slightly changed, especially with privatisation and commercialisation of information and telecommunication operations. Both multinationals and indigenous entrepreneurs have now been encouraged, more than ever before, to set up R & D units in their organisations.Finance is a major factor in achieving any measure of success in science and technology development. The funds allocated by a country for science and technology activities constitute an investment of a special kind. Since the key to national development lies in the effective use of technology for development, it follows that such an investment is vital for the future of the nation.At present, Government sponsors almost all research activities in the country. There has not been any significant break-throughs over the years and this has been attributable to three factors, namely:i) Multi-national companies who, although appreciate the role research and development can play in increasing profits in their industries, nevertheless are fully committed to carrying out their inevitable research and development activities in their parent companies outside the country;ii) Indigenous entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector who are unwilling to invest in research and development locally, preferring to buy packaged technologies which are the outcome of foreign research and development activities; andiii) Service organisations, public and private, who lack the appreciation of the role of science and technology in their operation.In order to ensure an increase in the general level of funding of science and technology development activities and its stability, government has decided that science and technology development activities in the country shall be financed through a funding system involving the Federal Government and its parastatals, the State Government and the Private Sector. In this connection, a National Science and Technology Fund (NSTF) was established to which both government, industries and philanthropic bodies contribute. In addition, government makes effective use of bilateral and international schemes for the procurement of funds from outside for science and technology development activities.For meaningful technology development, the country's policy is being planned to:i) have an assured raw materials base;ii) have a strong manpower base;iii) have adequate facilities for R & D;iv) develop capabilities for innovations; andv) develop production methods.Furthermore, the need for closer linkage between centres of higher education and research on one hand and industry on the other is now being emphasized more than ever before. Also private entrepreneur are being encouraged to utilise the research findings from the country's University and research institutes for commercial production. In the past, private sector had complained of the non-relevance of the work of these research institutions to their needs. To foster close collaboration and liaison between these groups, the Ministry of Science and Technology has recently set up a Consultative Committee on Industrial Research and Development made up of representative from the Universities, Research Institutes, organised private sectors, the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (NACCIMA), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), etc. and relevant government departments. Through this forum, strategies are being worked out for the commercial utilisation of research findings emanating from the various Research Institutions in the country.For example, a lot of simple circuits that are currently being used by the Ministry of Communications are being adapted or developed by local institutions as has been done in most countries. All that is needed is to identify systems and set target dates by which Nigerian made units will be used in these systems. The institutions are then invited to meet these targets. This has served as a challenge that these institutions of higher learning are now bracing up to. If this line of approach continues to be followed, in a few years, a number of systems will be developed locally and in some cases improved versions will be produced. This has been done by other countries such as India, Japan, Brazil, Taiwan, South Korea, etc., in recent years and Nigeria has just started to embrace this culture. There has never been a better opportunity than now that foreign exchange for purchase of systems abroad is scarce.In this respect, it is pertinent to mention that in the Department of Electrical Engineering of the University of Lagos, this effort has been started. In the university, some equipment designed and constructed locally are being used for some of the undergraduate laboratory experiments. Some of these equipments start as final year projects and have been developed and in some cases improved upon. Further attempts are also being made in designing and extending the range of other equipment in the laboratories. This is necessary in these days of dwindling subventions from government.Most of the institutions of higher learning in the country have facilities for research and development in the areas of electronics and communications engineering and indeed in many other areas of engineering. In addition there are, in these institutions, competent and resourceful personnel that can undertake researches in these areas and their abilities are being utilized in developing systems that can be used in the country so as to reduce expenditure on foreign consultants, experts or researchers. This has helped to conserve our foreign exchange in these days of dwindling external earnings.4.2 OVERALL LEVEL COMPUTER LITERACY AND COMPUTER UTILIZATION IN NIGERIADespite the fact that there are presently many computer installations in Nigeria, the awareness of the potentials of these computers and their relevance to our national development and well-being is just emerging.The nation's response to the growing data processing needs, as contained in the National Development Policy Plans have continued to witness the importation and sale of many computer hardwares and softwares to clients. Presently, it has been observed that:1. There are now well over 400 Computer Science Programmee and 1000 others from faculties like Engineering and Physical Sciences that require offerings in Computer Science up to 200 or 300 levels, as against about150 students in a typical Computer Science Department in 1975, In addition, because of the recently implemented National Universities Commission (NUC) minimum standards, every university student must now take computer science courses at the 100 level at least. - (Though not much has been done to improve facilities in the Computer Centres). Our Computer Science graduates will continue to emerge from the universities with their heads full of theories but absolutely lacking inpractical experience.2. It is estimated that there are about 6000 secondary schools in Nigeria. Ifeach school were to have TWO computer science teachers to cover courses at the senior classes, one would need 12,000 qualified computer science teachers to man the schools.3. Due to the strong job market for degree holders in Computer Science, fewer graduates continue with postgraduate studies in Computer Science.4 To fill in the gaps requires continuing education which now aboundsin every part of the country.5. Because Nigeria operates a free market economy, there is practically nocontrol on the in-flow of computer hardware and software into the market.6. With no regulations or any framework of control or standardization in force,there is now diverse makes of computers most of which have started to end up as heaps of faulty electronic gadgets in the few maintenance workshops available.4.2.1 Computer Education in Secondary SchoolsAs a means of advancing information technology applications in the country, pilot activities embarked upon by a number of State governments towards the introduction of informatics to the school curriculum, have now metamophorsed into full implementation in increased number of schools. Most states started with a pilot project of 4, 6 or 8 selected secondary schools within the state and by late 1995 these state governments have extended the facilities to at least one secondary school in each Local Government Area (LGA). There are presently 589 Local Government Areas in Nigeria and about 6,000 secondary schools. To execute the programme, a number of teachers were trained for a couple of weeks either by a computer company or the Polytechnic, depending on the cost considered reasonable by the government and in the case of the Federal Government Colleges, by the National Teachers Institute (NTI). These teachers had already started to return to implement the introduction of informatics to the educational curriculum of schools.Furthermore because of the present educational policies at the Federal, State and Local Government levels, the country operates an extensive network of primary schools, secondary schools and higher educational institutions. There are presently 18.7 million students enrolled in over 39.7 thousand institutions of various levels and types. Of the 18.7 million students in schools, less than 2 million have access to formal computer activities except in a very few private primary and secondary schools (about 1% of total number of schools) which are elitist in their set-ups and charge fees ranging from N20,000 to N250,000 per annum compared with an average of N500 per annum charged in public schools. In addition to a large number of primary and secondary institutions in the country, there are now 37 universities - 25 Federal and 12 state universities. No private university yet but plans are under way to encourage individuals, corporate bodies, religious institutions etc. to establish private universities.For the past 5 years, the applications of information technology activities especially those relating to education and training, have been rising significantly amongst youths and other individuals due to a number of factors, namely:1. Since 1978/79 till the present academic year, the existing universities have been able to admit an average of 15% of qualified applicants into the institutions, leaving about 85%qualifiedapplicants unable to be admitted. This has led to this large number enrolling in private computer schools all over the country for short-time courses ranging from one week to one year.2. There are more than 120 Commercial and Merchant Banks, 256 Mortgage banks and a number of Finance Houses in the country today which lay emphasis on the applications of information trchnology for their day to day operations. Because of the lucrative payment incentives in these finance houses, most prospective applicants strive to acquire certificates (formal or informal) in computer training with the hope of being attracted by the Finance Houses.3. Because of the liberalisation of the economy since the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986, many hitherto public companies have now been privatised and in order to maximize production vis-a-vis profits, a number of them have now imbibed computerisation into their operations. Computer literacy has now become aprerequisite for appointment into most cadres of these companies.4. Before 1988, offerings in computer science were envisaged strictly for the tertiary level of education. Only the universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education/Technology were expected to teach courses in computer science and produce graduates in that discipline.5. The resultant effects of the above state of affairs as claimed by Uche, were:(i) Very few Nigerians had access to tertiary education and only a negligible percentage of this number were admitted into Departments of Computer Science. Thus, only very few Nigerians were trained in computer technology.(ii) Societal demand for computer literate Nigerians far outstripped the level of production of this cadre of manpower.In an attempt to solve all the above mentioned problems, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to formulate a Computer Policy which will not only address the need for more awareness but also ensure that sound basis for computer education and utilization is laid.As the experience in several countries that had introduced computer literacy programmes shows, the most appropriate place to start computer awareness programmes is at the school level and the most appropriate level within the education system is the secondary school level. Therefore the decision in 1988 of Government to start its pilot programme in the Federal Government Colleges was in keeping with what had proved successful for other countries and in line with the recommendations of the committee onNational Policy for Computer Education in Nigeria.The Committee which consisted of eminent scholars and professionals in informatics was mandated, amongst others, to(i) advise Government on the types and levels of education that will contain offerings of Computer Education courses;(ii) determine the curricular contents and procedures best suited to the needs of this country for the various levels of education, including general computer literary at the tertiary levels;(iii) Consider and advise on the ways and means of ensuring a smooth transition of computer courses between and among the various types and levels of education.In carrying out its assignment the Committee noted that the major objective of introducing computer literacy and eduction at the secondary school level is to enable them acquire a level of knowledge about computers which would fit them directly into the employment market or enable them to pursue courses in computer science at higher levels. The Committee outlined the following as the generalInformatics Policy Objectivesfor the nation:(a) to bring about a Computer Literate Society in Nigeria by the middle of the 90's.(b) to enable the present generation of school children at this level appreciate the potentials of the computer and be able to utilise the computer in various aspects of life and later occupation.The first of these general objectives was interpreted by the Committee to imply that the Government would like to see a policy which would not only cater for those involved in the education enterprise, but also for the general populace. The intent of government appears to centre around the need to ensure that everyone appreciates -- the impact of information and computer technology on today's society;- the importance of the effective use of information to the individual and the society;- the techniques by which information is processed, managed, and communicated; and- the role of computers in information management.The second general objective directly addresses students who for the first time in the history of the country would benefit from the computer education programme and who will therefore be the flag-bearers in the nation's determination to join the current world-wide computer revolution. This general statement has thus been expanded to comprise the following educational objectives:- ability to use and program computers.- knowledge and ability to use and develop software packages.- understanding of the structure and operation of the computer.- knowledge about the history of computers.- appreciation of the economic, social and psychological impact of the computer.- the use of the computer in problem-solving.The above objectives provide a basis for the committees' recommendation of the following main curricular content items for the secondary school level:-- rudimentary knowledge about information systems, information processing techniques and the role of the computer in this regard;- exposure to the historical overview and the development of modern-day computer and its basic components;- knowledge about the uses to which computers are put in everyday life;- a basic appreciation of how a computer works.- an understanding of the basic principles of operating a computer,- hands-on experiences using pre-programmed packages which are relevant to the interests of the students as teaching aids in different subjects.- an introduction to theconceptof different computer languages, and their applications.- appreciation of problem-solving methods and techniques as they apply to the computer, program design, coding and documentation.On the need for a smooth transition between types and levels of education, the committee recommended that although primary schools will use lower-end computers and the secondary schools a more sophisticated one, there is not going to be much difference between the general approach to the teaching of computer lessons at these two levels. Similarly, the curriculum will enable secondary school students to cope with the university studies in computer science. According to the committee, the concept of computer education and literacy presents challenges which have not been faced before by the teachers. The Committee noted that for the first time both the teacher and the learner will be at virtually the same level of knowledge (or lack of it!).A training package was therefore recommended by the committee for the teacher.The objectives of such training are to:- build confidence in the handling of computer hardware and software.- encourage the teacher to develop a "sense" of rapport with the computer and appreciate its potential for resolving teaching and learning challenges.- take account of and familiarise the teachers with the dynamic nature of computer technology, thus stressing the necessity for continuous upgrading of his knowledge.- manage small computer laboratories and workshops.- appreciate importance of documentation procedures and softwares maintenance.The Committee on National Policy for Computer Education in Nigeria was also mandated to define, as clearly as possible, the roles of Federal and State governments and relevant institutions, particularly the universities, polytechnics, research institutes and some of the parastatals in the attainment of the objectives of Computer Education.The major merit of the National Policy on Computer Education, therefore, is that it recommends the introduction/incorporation of computer studies at all levels lower than the universities and Polytechnics. As a matter of fact, the committee recommended a total lifting of restrictions on computer education in a way that computer literacy programmes can begin right from the primary school. According to the Committee, computers should be introduced at any level provided the necessary facilities and resources exist.A good computer education programme should therefore aim not only at teaching Nigerians how to use the computer effectively for national development but also at preparing them to master computer technology with a view to ensuring the maintenance, and eventually the production of computers.4.2.2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME AT THE TERTIARY LEVELUniversity LevelSince 1962 when the National Univesities Commission (NUC) was set up following the recommendation of Ashby Commission, the NUC has been supervising and co-ordinating the activities of all the universities in Nigeria. The Commission has played a major role in the success of the Computer Literacy Programme in the universities.It has provided guidelines relating to the minimum hardware and software environment for the Universities to enable them effectively pursue the computer literacy programme. Additionally, the Commission has been supporting the development of curricula and programmes in the universities especially the new degree programmes in computer science and engineering covering the Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees.The computer literacy programmes at the university level have over the years been directed at:- establishing and entrenching a computer culture that permeates all activities in the University;- producing university graduates who are considered computer literates irrespective of their course of studies or major disciplines;- producing Computer Science and Engineering graduates who constitute the core of professionals in the practice and advancement of Computer Technology;- conducting research and developing hardware, firmware, software, and course-ware that will enable the country to attain the latest Computer Technology capability; and- ensuring the provision of the manpower and other resources required to meet the broader objectives of computer literacy at the tertiary, secondary and primary levels of education, and at the societal level.4.2.3 Polytechnic and Colleges of Education LevelApart from the NUC there is also the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) which has statutory responsibility for ensuring standards of Education in Polytechnics and Technical Colleges, and also in co-ordinating the development, management and funding of Federal Polytechnics and Federal Technical Colleges. Within this general framework, the NBTE has had the following specific roles to play in the introduction of Computer Education in the institutions under its jurisdiction;- integrating the curriculum for computer literacy at the secondary and tertiary levels, into the programmes of Polytechnics and Technical Colleges nation-wide.overseeing the development of Computer Education programmes at the Colleges of Education and Polytechnics.- monitoring the polytechnics and Federal Colleges of Education (Technical) to ensure that they have incorporated tertiary level computer literacy into their general studies programmes, and that they have acquired adequate facilities for this.- accrediting Computer Studies' programmes at Technical Colleges level.- developing syllabus for a Higher National Diploma (HND) option in Computer Science and Technology immediately for adoption by Polytechnics, and encourage the programme in Polytechnics.- reviewing the Polytechnics' Computer Science and Technology programmes periodically.- promoting and funding adaptive research in the polytechnics for the design, and development of computer hardware, software and firmware, power systems, thin-film technology and printed circuit boards.- integrating the Management Information System scheme into its Computer Education programme.- upgrading its in-house Computer capability to a level adequate to the demands of its statutory tasks.Under the guidance of NBTE, the Polytechnics in Nigeria have beenperforming a number of informatics role in the country. Suchroles include:- training of technicians and technologists for hardware maintenance, adaptive designs and development.- training of technicians for software design and development.- establishing, designing, developing and producing hardware, software and firmware.- development of thin-film technology application particularly in printed circuit board design and production.- mounting of courses for technicians and technologists for the various levels of personnel from industry and the community at large.4.2.4ESTABLISHMENT OF MIS IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIESManagement Information System (MIS) was formally introduced into Nigerian Universities Management systems in 1990 under the auspices of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to dealessentially with students, staff and financial records in the universities, and to provide periodic information reports for all Units within the Universities.Training needs were identified as realistic ways of meeting the proposal. The areas identified as priorities include:(i) Creating general awareness for MIS;(ii) Computer appreciation;(iii) Data collection and processing;(iv) Data interpretation; and(v) Computer operationsEach university was requested to set up an MIS Committee withmembership specified by the NUC. The first training assignment of the MIS committee was to organise training for Principal Officers in order to get them personally identified with the project and provide leadership and support. This was to be followed by training of other users in the Registry, Bursary, Library, Academic Planning etc. For the generality of staff and students, the MIS Committee was mandated to organise sensitisation and popularisation campaigns on MIS, its objectives and benefits.In all the above, in-house training , using the facilities of the computer centres and/or the computer science department was to be encouraged.In addition to the above courses, most of the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education operate short-time courses in Wordprocessing, Database Management, Spreadsheet and Statistical analyses leading to awards of in-house certificates and diplomas.At the international level but with the country, other Informatics activities include the establishment of:4.2.5 OTHERS1. Centre for Micro-Informatics Maintenance Department of Computer Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.This Centre was established by the International Governmental Informatics Programme of UNESCO with the main purpose of:. Providing exposure and training in hardware maintenance. understanding the modular layout and functional organization of units used in present day architecture. understanding the use of state-of-the-art test equipment and software diagnostics aids in practical problems acquiring hands-on practical training through direct and inductive tuition.It organises short-time and advance study internship in information technology and micro-informatics maintenance and training for participants within the West African sub-region.2. The Centre for Informatics Research and Training was established at the Ogun State University to:(i) facilitate active and meaningful research for development, using computers;(ii) serve as a centre for short training programmes in the Africa Commonwealth region in the area of IT;(iii) assist researchers in universities and research institutes as well as practitioners in R & D units of industry to use available resources in the Centre to solve problems and to meet and exchange ideas with professional colleagues and update their knowledge; and(iv) act as a catalyst for initiating research and training programmes in IT which will eventually benefit the government as well as interested Commonwealth African countries.3. The Africa Regional Centre for Information Science (ARCIS) started operating in November 1990 at the University of Ibadan. A number of international agencies played important roles in formulating its objectives, organizational structure and programmes. ARCIS addresses itself to African development problems that have demonstrable information services components, with a view to providing both short- and long-term solutions to them.In pursuance of its objective, ARCIS is involved in the following activities:1. running higher degree programmes in information science (MInfSc, MPhil, PhD);2. providing short-term training and retraining, through seminars and workshops, at different levels of information services;3. providing consultancy services in systems analysis, design and evaluation; database construction and management; information policy formulation and implementation; and solutions to operational problems in information technology; and4. conducting research on the problems and prospects of information science in the rapid socio-economic development of Africa.5.0.MANAGING TELECOMMUNICATIONS: REGULATORY AND POLICY ENVIRONMENT5.1 IntroductionIt is generally accepted that an accessible telecommunications capability is a prerequisite for national economic growth and, therefore, investment in the telecommunications infrastructure is paramount in any society. Those countries that developed their telecommunications services in the private domain of the economy, notably the U.S.A, have demonstrated that communication is big business and highly profitable. High net worth customers are naturally attractive to the telecommunications entrepreneur, but on account of the social benefits of communication, which are central for interpersonal relations and society's integrity, society has to protect and provide for low density and less affluent users also. In Nigeria there have been at least four National Telecommunication Development Plans since 1960 in which efforts have been made to accord telecommunications some measure of priority at least in financial terms. However, objectives in one plan period were invariably unaccomplished during that period and hence have to spill-over to the next. In terms of achievements in relation to investment, results lagged behind expectations due to various reasons. Thus although telecommunication development in Nigeria has followed some pattern, its course was not in accordance with any definite telecommunications policy. It is in order to stem this tide that the present administration, like the previous ones, included among its policy objectives, the establishment of a national telecommunications policy for Nigeria.5.2 Domestic ChallengesIn 1992, the telecommunications industry in Nigeria received its own dosage of the deregulation elixir in two forms. The first was the commercialisation or corporatization of Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) while the second was the establishment of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecommunications industry regulator.The motivating forces driving the deregulation of telecommunications services in Nigeria include:Private consumer and business demand for good quality telecommunications services at affordable prices and competitiveness;Need for reduced time for telephone installation and service delivery;Diversification and complexity of user needs;Advances in technology;Demand for improved business efficiency in the face of tight budgets.Economic development and job creation;The trend worldwide.In the light of the above, the Nigerian Government's decision to deregulate the telecommunications industry has had positive and far-reaching implications which are expected to provide the needed leverage and act as a catalyst for various forms of business, economic, social and organisational developments.The strategic implication of the above is that the core areas of public switches and trunks and international services have been reserved for the national operator, NITEL. This is to provide the necessary incentive and cross-subsidy for services to the rural communities and social services. That notwithstanding, and in order not to frustrate private sector participation, government, as a matter of policy, has maintained that the national career - NITEL is required to:provide network access and interconnectivity to other licensed operators,charge fair and competitive tariffs for such access and interconnectivity.concentrate its efforts and resources on core infrastructure development, i.e. the provision of public switches and long distance trunk capacity.In return, it was expected that NITEL will benefit from increased traffic to be generated through its network by private operators and through enhanced revenue generation and collection.The regulatory body, the Nigerian Communications Commission was formally inaugurated on the 16th of July 1993.5.2.1 The objectives of the Commission were:to create a regulatory environment for the supply of telecommunications services, facilities and to promote fair competition and efficient market conduct;to facilitate the entry into markets for telecommunications services and facilities of persons wishing to supply such services and facilities.to ensure that licensees or authorised carries and other providers of telecommunications services and infrastructure meet their commercial obligations and such other obligations in a manner which promotes cooperation and fairness;to protect licensees and the public from unfair conduct of other providers of telecommunications services, with regard to the quality of service and to the payment of tariffs;to ensure that licensees achieve the highest possible level of accountability and responsiveness to customer and community needs;to ensure that standard telephone services are supplied as efficiently and economically as possible and at such performance standards which reasonably meet the social, industrial, and commercial needs of the community.to promote the development of other sectors of the Nigerian economy through the commercial supply of modern telecommunications services.to establish technical standards and promote the development of Nigeria's telecommunications capabilities, industries and skills;to ensure that the Nigerian public have growing access to telecommunications facilities; andto optimise the use of telecommunications facilities in Nigeria with due consideration for the rights of the licensees and the public interest.5.2.2 FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSIONThe functions of the Commission are as follows:the responsibility for economic and technical regulation of the privatised sector of the telecommunications industry;to ensure the safety and quality of telecommunications services by determining technical standards and regulating technical execution and performance;to manage Nigeria's input into the setting of international technical standards for telecommunications;the responsibility for giving advice and assistance to the entire Nigerian telecommunications industry;the responsibility for giving reports and assistance to the Ministry or Minister in relation to the telecommunications industry;the promotion of competition in the telecommunications industry;the protection of suppliers of telecommunications services or facilities from unfair practices of other telecommunications supplies which are damaging to competition.to facilitate the entry into the market for such services and facilities by persons wishing to supply such services and facilities;to undertake studies into space technology and manage the utilisation of satellite facilities for the benefit of Nigerian operators and users;the protection of licensees from misuse of market power by other carriers;the arbitration of disputes between licensees and other participants in the telecommunications industry;to receive investigate complaints from licensees, carriers, consumers and other persons in the telecommunications industry;to advise the Minister or Secretary on ways of promoting competition within the telecommunications industry.the responsibility for the protection of public interest by ensuring that the provisions of the law are carried out with due regard to public interest;the protection of consumers from unfair practices of licensees and other persons in the supply of telecommunications services and facilities;to develop performance standards and indices relating to the quality of telephone and other telecommunications services and facilities supplied to consumers having regard to the best international performance indicators and Nigerian conditions;to monitor and report to the Minister or Secretary on charges paid by consumers, the performance of licensees and other persons in meeting the standards specified by the Commission;the issuance of telecommunications licenses;to monitor the conduct of holders of the licenses and to enforce the conditions included in the licenses.5.2.3 BENEFITSThe benefits of the existence of the Nigerian Communication Commission derive from private sector participation and investment in the telecommunications Sector and the benefits both immediate and remote have started to manifest in greater efficiency, greater flexibility, and less stress in the way people organize their business, economic and social activities. The Nigerian economy is being stimulated and more wealth created resulting in the provision of incentives for the development of professionalism in telecommunications service delivery and for telecommunications professionals to participate more meaningfully and visibly in the Nigerian economic activities.The last