NCC praises ministerial initiative to empower girls in ICT and hosts 185 students on an excursion tour.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) praised Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, for leading initiatives that aim to equip Nigerian girls with digital knowledge and skills.

While touring the National Communication Museum at the Commission’s Abuja headquarters, Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) Dr. Aminu Maida addressed 185 contestants of the 2026 National Girls in ICT (NG‑ICT) Competition. He said the visit aligns with the Commission’s digital‑literacy advocacy.

The contestants were selected by the Ministry from across the country’s geopolitical zones to promote digital inclusion and encourage greater participation of girls in ICT and other STEM disciplines.

The museum visit was part of the Minister’s National Girls in ICT Programme, which seeks to close the gender gap in technology by providing young girls with digital skills, mentorship, and exposure to innovation.

Represented by Director of Research and Development, Babagana Digima, Maida explained that the tour was designed to connect Nigeria’s past and present telecommunications journey, helping students appreciate the sector’s shift from analogue systems to the current digital era.

During the study tour, NCC officials guided the students through exhibits and historical artefacts that document key milestones in Nigeria’s telecommunications history and the sector’s evolution to date. Maida emphasized that understanding this history would inspire participants to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s digital future.

The EVC noted that exposing young people to the history of technological advancement and innovation is essential for building a new generation of leaders for Nigeria’s growing digital economy.

“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. That is the whole essence of having them here,” he added.

During the tour, participants learned about generational trends in telecommunications development, beginning in 1886 when the colonial administration established the first communication facilities to support administrative functions. They were also shown the history of the country’s early telegraph services, which linked Lagos to other parts of West Africa and Europe through submarine cable connections.

The tour highlighted the state of telecommunications at independence in 1960, when Nigeria had only 18,724 telephone lines serving an estimated population of about 40 million people. Students were briefed on subsequent development plans, the operations of the former Department of Posts and Telecommunications (P&T) and Nigerian External Telecommunications (NET) Limited, and the establishment of Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in 1985 to coordinate internal and external telecommunications services.

A major highlight of the visit was the display of rare historical artefacts preserved at the NCC Museum. Exhibits included a Post Office Counter dating back to 1852, Sorting Racks introduced to Lagos in 1852, the Grand “T” Key used at the Lagos Post Office in the nineteenth century, leather mail bags from 1863, Drop Bag fittings from the late 20th century, a 511A Letter Scale from the mid‑20th century, an Improved Dynamometer Scale from the 1920s, telegram machines, Teleprinter T100, Cordless PBX, Digital Card Phone, and others.