Soji Maurice-Diya, chief executive officer of Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd. (ntel)
Soji Maurice-Diya, chief executive officer of Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd. (ntel), is calling for a structural convergence between the country’s telecom and financial sectors, projecting that a mega-merger could drive digital economy.
Maurice-Diya, while delivering a keynote address at the Technology Times Thought Leadership Series in Lagos, emphasized that the future of telecoms in Nigeria lies beyond traditional connectivity services.
He argued that operators must transition into comprehensive digital ecosystems capable of enabling new economic opportunities across multiple sectors.
“Telcos have to be able to play more than just a communication or connectivity role and become a digital platform that can enable and unlock a lot of additional opportunities. There needs to be more synergy between the communications ecosystem and the financial sector,” Maurice-Diya told an audience of industry stakeholders, policymakers, and innovators.
The ntel CEO, who assumed leadership earlier in 2025, framed this convergence as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s next phase of telecoms evolution, stating that such cross-sector partnerships would foster a robust digital economy encompassing fintech, health-tech, and ed-tech, sectors he believes will benefit from telcos’ extensive reach and data capabilities.
Maurice-Diya’s remarks come as ntel prepares for a strategic re-entry into the Nigerian market in the first quarter of 2026. The company, which traces its roots to the legacy national carrier NITEL, plans to return with what he described as a light digital play, a focused, innovation-driven approach rather than a broad-scale assault on subscriber numbers.
“We think there is a lot of innovation yet to happen in this space. We don’t intend to compete for 100 million subscribers. We want to serve a small subset extremely well,” he said.
Central to ntel’s revival strategy is Nigeria’s youthful demographic. Maurice-Diya highlighted that between three and four million Nigerians turn 18 every year, creating a dynamic and growing market segment with distinct digital needs and fewer entrenched loyalties to incumbent operators. “We think that is an opportunity where there aren’t as many incumbents in their minds. If we can tap into that, we can deepen our penetration and grow with them,” he explained.
He envisions ntel developing niche, digital-first products tailored to this emerging generation, building long-term engagement through relevance and creativity rather than sheer volume.
Maurice-Diya also reflected on the broader evolution of Nigeria’s telecoms landscape over the past 25 years. He credited major operators like MTN, Airtel, and Glo, for bringing stability to a once-volatile market following deregulation. Their long-term commitment, he said, has transformed telecoms into one of Nigeria’s most resilient economic pillars, supporting the country’s commercial ecosystem and contributing significantly to GDP.
Yet, he cautioned, maturity brings new responsibilities. With a more predictable operating environment now in place, the industry must innovate to remain relevant and competitive on the global stage.
Policy alignment, he noted, is critical to sustaining this momentum. Maurice-Diya praised Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, for introducing reforms, including tariff relief and policy innovations, that have expanded industry capacity and improved the investment climate.
He called for continued government support that encourages collaboration without stifling creativity, particularly at the intersection of telecoms and finance.
Maurice-Diya stressed that telcos should not remain mere infrastructure providers or pipes, as he put it, but must evolve into platforms that power digital inclusion and economic diversification. “We owe it to ourselves to give it another shot. Our goal is to implant ntel into the hearts and minds of Nigerians by creating important but overlooked solutions within the industry,” he said of ntel’s planned comeback.
Looking ahead, he expressed optimism about the sector’s enduring role in shaping Nigeria’s economy. “The telecoms industry will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s economy for decades to come. We think there are opportunities for us to contribute and make not just a direct impact in the lives of our subscribers, but also generate additional innovation in the broader ecosystem,” Maurice-Diya affirmed.
