Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State is exploring a partnership with MTN Nigeria that could transform how the state government delivers services, manages its solid minerals sector and connects its workforce to modern digital tools.
This came to the fore when Governor Sule hosted a high-level delegation from MTN Nigeria at the Government House on Monday.
The MTN team was led by Mr. ThankGod Otorkpa, General Manager, Regional Operations for the North-West, and included senior officials from the company’s enterprise and public sector divisions, accompanied by Ahmed Isah, popularly known as Ordinary President and founder of the Brekete Family, who facilitated the visit.
Discussions at the meeting centred on three broad areas: the digitisation of the Nasarawa State Secretariat and government workforce, the deployment of technology across the state’s solid minerals mining sites to improve revenue transparency and production efficiency, and the channelling of MTN’s annual corporate social responsibility interventions in Nasarawa State in a manner that reflects the state government’s development priorities.
Governor Sule, who expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, told the delegation that technology was the only credible way to ensure that revenue from the state’s vast mineral resources was legitimate, transparent and accountable.
He proposed that the collaboration begin with a pilot at one of the state’s active mining sites, noting that Nasarawa currently has about five fully operational sites, including the largest lithium processing plant in the country, which is due for commissioning.
“We want to be able to generate more revenue, but I want to give them proper service so that the revenue will be legitimate and transparent. Nobody is cheating anyone. It is only technology that can give people the comfort that what we are doing is right,” he stated.
The Governor drew on his private sector experience, referencing technology deployments he had witnessed in China, South Africa and Angola, to underscore his belief in phased, practical implementation rather than large-scale rollouts that fail to take root.
He expressed a preference for beginning with sections of the secretariat where staff were already inclined toward digital adoption, with training forming a core component of any agreement, so that civil servants could take genuine ownership of the systems introduced.
Governor Sule acknowledged the work being done by the Nasarawa State Information Technology and Digital Economy Agency (NASITDEA), which was recently upgraded from a bureau to a full-fledged agency with a broader mandate covering digital technology and the digital economy.
He expressed confidence that the MTN partnership would complement the agency’s ongoing efforts and align with his administration’s goal of using technology to drive productivity, efficiency and transparency across government.
Earlier, in an opening remarks, Mr. Otorkpa described the proposed partnership as potentially the first of its kind in Nigeria in terms of a state government’s intervention in internet provision and ICT deployment.
Michael Olani, a senior manager in the company’s enterprise business division, told the Governor that MTN had already conducted preliminary engineering assessments at the Nasarawa State Secretariat and was prepared to provide internet and related ICT infrastructure that would enable the digitisation of government services, including land administration and internal document processing.
Olani also highlighted MTN’s network expansion plans in the state and the company’s readiness to align its rollout with the government’s own development objectives, noting that broader ICT penetration would stimulate youth innovation, economic participation and ultimately increase the state’s internally generated revenue through a wider tax base.
The company further indicated that MTN allocates one percent of its revenue to corporate social responsibility activities distributed across all 36 states, and expressed willingness to work directly with the Nasarawa State Government to ensure this year’s intervention funds are deployed in areas of greatest need, following engagements with the state’s Digital Economy Agency.
Both parties agreed on the next steps, which include a site visit to one of the state’s mining locations to assess the feasibility of the proposed technology deployment, as well as further technical engagements between MTN’s team and the Nasarawa State Digital Economy Agency.
