Professor Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information, has revealed that Nigeria’s telecommunications breakthrough under former President Olusegun Obasanjo began with a bold decision to approve GSM technology, even when the concept was still unfamiliar to many in government.
In an interview 19:24 with ARISE TV, Professor Gana praised Obasanjo’s leadership style, describing him as a courageous decision-maker who trusted his team. He recalled that when their administration came into office, Nigeria had only about 500,000 telephone lines. Gana said he submitted a memo proposing the adoption of GSM technology, which was relatively new at the time.
He explained that although President Obasanjo did not fully understand the technical aspects of GSM, he gave immediate approval for its implementation. According to Gana, that single decision, laid the foundation for the mobile communication revolution that transformed Nigeria’s connectivity and economy.
His words,
“I must salute the wisdom and courage of President Obasanjo. The reason why I love him as a leader was that he was a decision-maker; he had the courage of making decisions. All the institutions are now in place; all of them were created during that time, including the… When we came in, there were only 500,000 telephone lines in the whole of Nigeria. Then I brought in a memo that a new technology we hear—about GSM. He didn’t know much about it, but he said, ‘Look, Jerry, approved.” View, More,
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