Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman of Zinox Group, has urged the federal government to take urgent steps to make electricity affordable for educational, innovation hubs and research institutions, warning that Nigeria’s digital adoption journey is being crippled by unreliable and costly power supply.
Ekeh, who made the call at the 19th international conference of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) in Kano, said universities, polytechnics, and research centres are struggling to equip students and lecturers with the digital tools required to compete in a knowledge-driven global economy.
According to him, fewer than five percent of educational institutions nationwide can power their campuses for up to six hours a day, while many students and lecturers who own laptops and smart devices often go weeks without being able to recharge them.
“With the current state of electricity in our schools, how do we expect knowledge workers to deliver effectively or students to access global content online? Power remains one of the biggest obstacles to innovation and digital transformation in Nigeria,” Ekeh decried.
He stressed that targeted subsidies for electricity in the education sector would not only improve the quality of graduates but also accelerate the country’s competitiveness in technology and innovation. “Interventions of this nature are urgently required. If we fail to act now, our young people will remain disadvantaged, and the nation risks lagging permanently in the knowledge economy,” he said.
Beyond power challenges, the Zinox chairman also pointed to weak local manufacturing capacity, low digital literacy, and the lack of structured incentives for the private sector as factors limiting Nigeria’s technology growth. He called on government, academia, and industry leaders to work more closely in building a sustainable digital ecosystem.
“At Zinox, we have consistently upheld global standards, as shown by our critical certifications. We are fully equipped, technically and financially, to support corporations and government in this digital race powered by AI. But without power and deliberate infrastructure investments, Africa risks being permanently marginalized,” he cautioned.
Ekeh further argued that the next five years would be decisive for Nigeria, insisting that technology investment remains the most cost-effective and sustainable path to wealth creation. “If we combine common sense with technology and our large population, we can ensure that wealth becomes a right for over 75 percent of Nigerians. The returns on technology-led investments are guaranteed to be rewarding,” he noted.
