A Kaduna-based ICT expert, Tunji Osibanjo, has hailed the diverse roles played by multinational telecommunications giants in making telephony and Internet access a reality in the northern parts of the country.
Osibanjo, who disclosed that today, internet access, especially in Kaduna is widespread, with 3G, 4G, and 5G services offered by major providers like MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile, commended the service providers for deepening internet and telephony penetration in the north and Kaduna State as the political headquarters of northern Nigeria.
Speaker further, the ICT expert, who is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said he still remembers Escom Infobahn as a major digital pioneer in the state.
“In 2000, Nigeria’s internet penetration stood at just 0.06 per cent. Across Africa, only 1.2 per cent of the population had access. This was a far cry from countries like Sweden, which had already hit 35 per cent internet usage at the time,” Osibanjo disclosed.
Continuing, he noted, “In Northern Nigeria, the gap was even wider. In Kaduna State, where access to internet services was limited, a tech drought persisted well into the late 2000s – despite the growing number of tertiary institutions and digitally curious youths.
“That was until Escom Infobahn, an internet café established in 2009, began offering fast, accessible, and affordable internet to thousands in Kaduna metropolis.”
Arewa PUNCH reports that the Escom Infobahn occupied Store 1, Aliyu Turaki Road, Malali, where it (Escom Infobahn) became a hub for internet users, providing services ranging from browsing, printing and email setup, to computer literacy training.
“We served both in-house customers and also offered Wi-Fi to homes within a five-kilometre radius,” said Tunji Osibanjo.
“Between 2009 and 2014, the café served no fewer than 324,000 users. Daily visits ranged between 200 and 250 people, mostly students, job seekers, and small business owners.
“Most people needed help with basic services like creating email accounts,” Osibanjo further recalled.
For the ABU Zaria graduate, the café became a stepping stone because with access to the internet, he honed his software skills and later secured a PTDF scholarship for postgraduate studies in Petrochemical Engineering.
Another staff member, Mujahid Mohammed, while also confirming Osibanjo’s claim, maintained that the café played a vital role in his personal and professional development.
“It helped me to build customer service and business management skills. I went on to study Business Administration at Kaduna Polytechnic,” he said.
While also sharing his ICT experience with our correspondent, the founder of Escom Infobahn, Sheriff Adepoju, said the idea came from his personal frustration over poor internet access in the early 2000s.
“I loved research, but access was difficult. So I thought, why not solve the problem myself?” he said.
In 2009, Adepoju said he took a personal loan of N6.3 million from his parents to launch the business. The funds were used to procure computers, rent space, install VSAT equipment, and set up a 100-foot tower to broadcast wireless signals.
“At its peak, Escom Infobahn provided fast, unlimited downloads via a GILAT Ku Band VSAT connection, costing $740 monthly,” Adepoju disclosed.
“It became the first café in Kaduna North to offer extended wireless service.
“We were also the local point of sale for Inye, Africa’s first indigenous tablet PC,” the Escom Infobahn founder said.
He added that “The café opened from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and it quickly grew into a learning centre, where many residents opened their first email accounts or completed online applications for jobs, WAEC, JAMB and other federal recruitment exercises.
“The introduction of affordable broadband dongles, particularly from MTN, led to a cyber café boom across Kaduna, such that individual users no longer needed physical cafés, and business slowed.”
Adepoju said the café was handed over to an investor in 2012 but was eventually shut down in 2014 due to unremitted payments.
“It was a painful decision, but looking back, I’m proud of the lives we touched and the digital gap we helped close,” he said.
“Internet access in Kaduna is widespread, with 3G, 4G, and 5G services offered by major providers like MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile. But many still remember Escom Infobahn as a digital pioneer,” he concluded.
