The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commended the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, for spearheading initiatives aimed at equipping young Nigerians, particularly girls, with digital knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the modern economy.
The commendation came as 185 contestants participating in the 2026 National Girls in ICT (NG-ICT) Competition visited the National Communications Museum in Abuja as part of activities organized under the National Girls in ICT Programme.
Speaking during the tour on Thursday, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, described the initiative as a strategic effort to promote digital inclusion and encourage greater participation of girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
The contestants, drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the country, were selected by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to participate in the competition designed to bridge the gender gap in the technology sector through digital skills training, mentorship and exposure to innovation.
Represented by the Director of Research and Development at the NCC, Babagana Digima, Maida said the museum tour was intended to connect young Nigerians with the history of the country’s telecommunications industry and inspire them to become active contributors to future technological advancement.
According to him, the visit offered the students a unique opportunity to understand how Nigeria’s communications sector evolved from analogue systems to the current digital age.
“The whole idea behind this is that we are looking at the younger generation. We want to show them what communication is all about. This place is a museum meant to preserve the history of what has gone before and to keep the artefacts, ensuring that people see the evolution from the postal system to telegraphy, from analogue systems to the digital era,” he said.
“This is essentially what we are showing them in the shortest amount of time and, of course, to excite the curiosity of the young ones. When they see what happened in the past and how it has progressed into the future, they can also take it up from here and think about what it will look like going forward.”
Maida emphasized that exposing young people to the history of innovation and technological advancement is critical to nurturing the next generation of leaders in Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
During the tour, NCC officials guided the participants through various exhibits and historical artefacts documenting key milestones in the development of telecommunications in Nigeria.
The students learned about the origins of communication services in the country, dating back to 1886 when the colonial administration established communication facilities mainly to support governance and administrative activities. They were also introduced to the history of early telegraph services that connected Lagos to other parts of West Africa and Europe through submarine cable networks.
Officials highlighted the state of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure at Independence in 1960, when only 18,724 telephone lines served a population estimated at about 40 million people.
The participants were further taken through the evolution of the sector, including the role of the former Department of Posts and Telecommunications (P&T), Nigerian External Telecommunications (NET) Limited, and the establishment of Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in 1985 to coordinate domestic and international telecommunications services.
A major attraction during the visit was the display of rare historical artefacts preserved at the museum. These included a Post Office Counter dating back to 1852, Sorting Racks introduced to Lagos in the same year, the historic Grand “T” Key used at the Lagos Post Office in the nineteenth century, leather mail bags from 1863, telegram machines, teleprinters, cordless PBX systems, digital card phones and other communication devices that shaped the sector’s development over the decades.
The National Girls in ICT Programme is one of the Federal Government’s flagship initiatives aimed at promoting gender inclusion in technology by providing young girls with opportunities to develop digital competencies, explore innovation and pursue careers in ICT-related fields.
The NCC said the initiative aligns with its broader digital literacy advocacy and efforts to build a digitally empowered generation capable of driving Nigeria’s future technological and economic growth.
