Brymedia boss prescribes ‘NITELLIGENCE’ to bidders

Bid manager and consortium leader in the bidding for the Nigeria Telecommunications Plc (NITEL) privatization process, Messrs Brymedia Consortium has prescribed what it called ‘NITELLIGENCE’ for whoever wishes to optimize the acquisition of the first national operator.

According to the chief executive, Brymedia West Africa Limited, Mr. Adrain Wood, his firm has devised the concept of “NITELLIGENCE” to describe its special approach to the recovery, rehabilitation, restoration, relaunching and revitalization of NITEL and its mobile subsidiary, MTel businesses.

He also said that it is crucial to have an expert ability to understand NITEL’s challenges, learn, before implementing process could be taken on for the transformation of the telecom entity.

In addition, Mr. Wood, highlighted the fact that gathering of planning and operational information, especially for roll-out campaign purposes is imperative for success transformation of NITEL in good time.

He stressed that know-how, the capacity to efficiently rebirth a Nigerian national institution is very important to have so as to showcase intellect in the implementation process.

Mr. Wood said, based on the aforementioned, Brymedia has brought together a group of Nigerian investment partners from all parts of the country, foreign direct investors and soon-to-be-announced international operator partner.

Further, he said, the Brymedia Consortium has engaged Telecapital Limited as local funding advisor, and appointed the well-respected Renaissance Capital Group, for managing and arranging the foreign direct investment component of NITEL project financing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wood, has advised that Nigeria needs to attract foreign investment in the neighbourhood of $25 billion to be able to make the dream of being counted among 20 developed nations of the world in the next 11 years.

The former managing director of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, who was commenting on the 49 independence anniversary, noted that Nigeria requires, at least, $25bn investment into the telecommunications industry in its march towards becoming one of the top twenty economies in the world by the year 2020.

He called to mind that one of the main goals of the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Umaru Yar’Adua is to make Nigeria one of the top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020, stressing that the government is aiming to attain a 100 per cent teledensity before the year 2020 in line with Vision 20-2020.

Noting that by his estimation, a minimum of that amount would be required to bring the national telecommunications network up to world standard, despite the giant strides recorded in the industry in the last eight years.

“A great part of this amount should go to the provision of fibre optic network in every workplace, household, Federal, State, and Local government offices, as well as tertiary institutions and primary schools,” he said.

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