Ayọ̀wándé Adálémọ 🇳🇬@wandyvirus
The truth is that OBJ actually messed up the telecom liberalization process and used the licensing process to punish his perceived enemies namely @DrMikeAdenuga and enriched his cronies.
The military administration of General Sani Abacha (1993–1998) initiated the liberalization of the telecommunications sector in Nigeria by breaking the monopoly of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).
The regime broke ground for mobile communication by issuing provisional digital mobile licenses to private companies, such as Celia Motophone Limited and Mobile Telecommunications Services Limited.
These licenses were intended to open the market to competition and shift away from the NITEL monopoly.
In 1996, the Abacha government established the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunication (MTEL) out of NITEL to provide cellular services, aiming to advance mobile communication in the country.
We started well until OBJ introduced bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He revoked these provisional licenses in 1999 under the guise of "allowing for a more competitive bidding process"
This slowed down the actual, rapid expansion of GSM services. It was not until 2001 that we now started using GSM when his cronies got the license.
He wanted to fu#@$k up Adénúgà.
CIL was the ONLY Successful indigenous bidder in 2001.
OBJ and powerful interests frustrated CIL.
What happened to Celia, Motophone and MTEL?
What about Mobitel?
They got the WIMAX License and someone close to the presidency felt Mobitel will be a threat( WiMAX was a big deal then even though I knew then that it will lose out to a better industry backed radio standard. I wrote some white paper on this in 2010 or thereabouts).
The CEO, Joseph Alábà was murdered in his VI office. He was thrown out of his office window and they claimed it was a suicide.
@DrMikeAdenuga at some point during OBJs regime went on exile. If not we may be talking about something else now.
Boss, when people say that nonsense of OBJ brought GSM I get very annoyed.
The mess in that sector today is because the foundation was layered with blood, betrayal and nepotism.
Abacha liberalized that sector.
