Nigeria’s population figures by the Population Commission, broadband penetration experienced a significant decline of 10.7%. According to the revised data, only 40.48% of Nigeria’s 216.7 million population had internet access by September 2023, marking a shortfall from previous estimates.

The adjustment process caused a delay of five months in sharing the updated data. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), emphasized the importance of these adjustments in upholding the integrity of the telecom industry’s data.

Despite efforts to meet a broadband penetration target of 70% by 2025, as outlined in the Strategic Blueprint presented by Bosun Tijani, Nigeria still faces significant challenges in achieving this goal.

The NCC clarified that the previous industry statistics were based on a 2017 population projection of 190 million, whereas the latest figures incorporated the NPC’s 2022 projection of 216.7 million for accuracy and alignment with international standards.

As a result of the adjusted calculation, Nigeria’s teledensity dropped from 115.63% to 102.30% in September, indicating a decrease in telephone penetration within the population.

However, there was a slight increase of 0.63% in active voice subscriptions, rising from 220.3 million to 221.7 million by September 2023. Internet subscriptions also experienced modest growth, edging up by 0.71% from 159 million in August to 160.1 million in September.