By Levinus Nwabughiogu
For years, connectivity in Bende was not a given but a quest. To make or receive a telephone call, residents traversed a kilometre or two, moving from one location to another in search of a signal. Opportunities lost. Development stalled. Progress retarded. It felt like a throwback to the darker age of the 18th century.
Excitedly, the protracted wait, worry and seeming disappointments came to an end on Friday, October 16, 2026 with the commissioning of a digital telecommunications tower along the Umuahia-Ohafia Road, Bende. With that singular mast installed, the long odyssey for reliable communication has been concluded.
This development is yet another strategic intervention, a development streak made possible and attracted to Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State by Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
To those acquainted with his political trajectory, it is hardly surprising. Kalu has cultivated a distinctive philosophy of representation. Every opportunity secured in Abuja and indeed, the world must be redirected home. This principle has become the defining ethos of his stewardship, the hallmark of his mission to Abuja as the representative of the federal constituency. Ultimately, this is the reason Bende has been made a consistent beneficiary of federal presence.
Since his emergence at the thresholds of National Assembly, his imprint has been visible across vital spheres of social and human developments. Roads have been constructed, hospitals established, schools built and rehabilitated, health centres founded and constituents empowered through genuine business grants rather than token gestures.
Yet in recent times, commercial and social life had become increasingly constrained by poor digital connectivity.
So, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the National Universal Communications Access Programme, NUCAP, under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Kalu promptly positioned Bende for consideration. Graciously, the President obliged him and the Ministry, to its credit, selected Bende, not Lagos or Abuja for the take off of the project.
For purposes of recapitulation and accentuation, NUCAP is a deliberate federal initiative to extend reliable mobile and broadband connectivity to communities underserved by commercial networks. It envisages the deployment of approximately 3,700 modern, renewable energy powered telecom towers across rural, riverine and hard to reach areas, with the objective of connecting nearly 20,000,000 Nigerians presently excluded from basic digital services. In select locations, the towers will be complemented by public WiFi and digital learning tools. The programme, understandably complements Project BRIDGE, the 90,000 kilometre fibre optic backbone, and NIGCOMSAT satellite coverage.
Its dividends are far reaching. Enhanced market access for farmers and traders, expanded financial inclusion through mobile banking, improved access to emergency, educational and healthcare services, and strengthened communication for democratic processes, including BVAS operations.
At the commissioning ceremony in Bende on Friday, performed by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani on Friday, Kalu spoke to human experience, deliberately avoiding technical distractions.
He said: “For those who have always enjoyed reliable network service, connectivity may seem ordinary. For a rural trader whose payment repeatedly fails, a student who cannot join an online lesson, or a family struggling to contact a doctor, it is anything but ordinary. It can determine whether an opportunity is secured or lost. Where a person lives should not determine the limits of what that person can become.”
He distilled the intervention into the contemporary, lived realities of his constituents.
For financial inclusion, connectivity, he said, is the bank itself, positing that without it, mobile applications, Point of Sale (POS) terminals, agent banking and electronic transfers falter.
For education, connectivity is a classroom without walls, enabling a child in Bende to access online tutoring and learning resources beyond his immediate environment, while teachers can also upskill and broaden their pedagogical horizons.
In healthcare deliveries, it is a lifeline, allowing frontline workers to consult specialists, transmit results securely and coordinate referrals.
For democracy, especially as the 2027 general elections approach, connectivity is voice. Citizens need accurate information and a channel to engage their representatives. Emergency and electoral officers also need reliable communication.
“Our children should be able to receive online tutoring and access learning materials beyond their immediate environment. Our young people should be able to apply for scholarships, acquire digital skills and explore opportunities without travelling elsewhere simply to find a signal. The talent is already here in Bende. We must provide the connections through which that talent can grow.
“Citizens need access to accurate information. Communities need channels through which to raise concerns, seek clarification and engage their representatives. Electoral and emergency personnel need reliable communication. These towers must serve the whole community,” Kalu echoed.
Underscoring the strategic location and proximity of Bende to neighbouring States of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi, Kalu noted that investment in its connectivity yields benefits that transcend the local government area, facilitating trade, mobility and inter community relations.
He however revealed that 16 additional locations requiring urgent connectivity interventions have been identified across the constituency and implored the Ministry, network providers and technical partners to collaborate with his office and community leaders to validate the sites and institute a sustainable maintenance regime anchored on reliable power supply and prompt fault resolution.
Kalu also expressed profound gratitude to President Tinubu and the Ministry of Communications for prioritizing rural digital infrastructure, especially his Bende Federal Constituency, commending the Ministry and its partners for choosing the federal constituency.
“On behalf of the people of Bende Federal Constituency, I sincerely thank His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his administration’s commitment to expanding digital infrastructure and bringing more Nigerians into the digital economy.
“I commend the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the implementing agencies, network providers, engineers and all partners responsible for this intervention. Thank you for choosing Bende. Thank you for recognising the needs and potential of our people”, he said.
Words of appreciation and acknowledgement were also sent to Governor Alex Otti for his support for federal projects in Abia especially the ones attracted by Kalu, be it federal education institutions or a branch of industrial court.
To ensure adequate protection of the critical national infrastructure and asset, the Deputy Speaker further appealed to the traditional rulers, Town Union Presidents-General and the people of Bende to safeguard the installation.
Then enter Minister Tijani who offered a resonant metaphor that encapsulated the moment in his speech at the commissioning.
“When you look at this tower, you may see a mast. I want you to think of a tree. When we plant a tree, it grows. It gives shade. It bears fruit. Even children who were not born when we planted it can grow up to enjoy it. That is how I want us to see this tower. Its fruits will be the farmer who finds a new buyer, the young person who learns a new skill, the trader who gets an order from another town, and the family who can finally speak to their loved ones. These are the opportunities this connection can bring”, he said.
According to the Minister, NUCAP represents President Tinubu’s unequivocal mandate to bring every Nigerian online.
The innovation, he said, will connect about 20 million Nigerians who have no access to telephone and internet services.
“Today, we are launching here in Bende a national project to connect close to 20 million Nigerians who currently have
no access to telephone and internet services. Let me begin by recognising our very dear host, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon.
Benjamin Kalu. Your Excellency, thank you for your partnership. Thank you
for always bringing the needs of your communities to our attention.
“My people, why are we here? We are here because where we live should never stand between us and opportunity.
We should be able to call our families, whether they are elsewhere in Nigeria or anywhere in the world”.
Tijani also evaluated the inherent benefits of the tower.
“A farmer here with produce ready to sell, should not have to struggle to find a signal to call a buyer. A trader here should not lose a sale because a customer cannot find a network to make a transfer. And a family here whose child is ill at night, should not have to struggle to make a call for help. For many Nigerians, these struggles are part of everyday life. We must change that.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given us a clear mandate: work towards bringing every Nigerian online. Through NUCAP, we are delivering 3,700 telecommunications towers across Nigeria. Today, we are commissioning the first of these sites here. More will follow across the country in the coming days, weeks and months”, he said.
This is not one off. The Minister promised to do more for Bende afterwards.
“Our work in Bende Local Government does not end with this first site. In the coming months, we will keep working with the Deputy Speaker, network operators and community leaders to reach the parts of this local government that are still unconnected,” he assured.
Remarkably, the event went beyond rhetorics and featured demonstrative practicals when the crowed exited the venue of the launch for Bende Grammar School where students participated in a live electronic learning session enabled by the newly deployed network. Here, the power of the tower was tested and expectedly its transformative potential came alive. For sure, this gladdened everyone’s heart, genuinely showcasing the nobility and essentiality of the project.
Incidentally, complimentary mobile phones were also distributed to constituents to enable immediate utilization of the connectivity.
In the end, this is the story of the digital tower in Bende, first across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria attracted by a representative who has made it a habit of turning national programmes into local progress for his constituents. This is a story of one federal lawmaker who is so passionate about giving his people a lofty lift. This Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who has found favour before the President Tinubu and all. But it is not personally about him. It is triumphantly about his Bende and the people he represents at the National Parliament.
*Nwabughiogu, a journalist and social analyst writes from Bende, Abia State