Lagos — Minister for Information and Communications, Mr Frank Nweke Jr., has stated his interest in the National Carrier, Globacom, saying, I'm a stakeholder in Globacom.

Nweke, who made the declaration when he visited the company yesterday, however defined his stake in the company as that of a Nigerian who feels proud of what Globacom has achieved over the last three and half years of its existence.

"I also have a stake as a subscriber who makes use of your products. When I am traveling and I don't want to carry a laptop, I depend on your Glo Mobile Internet. When I'm out of the country, I depend on your roaming facility and I'm quite conversant with your Blackberry.

"Glo is an authentic Nigerian company. What it has achieved in the past three years demonstrates great potentials, great opportunities, drive for excellence and commitment to Nigeria.

"Globacom embodies the Nigerian spirit and tells the Nigerian story, a story of vision, courage, hope, passion and power. The growth you've recorded is an evidence of the capacity of Nigerians to compete with the best in the world. I'm excited about the innovations you've brought to bear on the business," he said.

Speaking on the objective of his visit, Nweke said he was on a tour of the country with the theme "Lest we forget," to remind Nigerians of the situation of the country before the inception of the present administration.

The decision for this tour, he said, is based on the experience gathered that human memory is very short. "Few people and organisations have the discipline to remember where they are coming from. How did we survive without the mobile phones? In the next 10 to 20 generations, the issue that it used to be a luxury to have a mobile line will be history.

"Today, Nigerians are not only communicating, many of them are gainfully employed and can speak with the rest of the world, on account of the country's telecom revolution," Nweke said.

In his welcome address, Mr Mohammed Jameel, Chief Operating Officer of Globacom, said the company has over 11 million subscribers on its network and has introduced more innovations than any other network in the market.

Jameel also appealed to the Minister to facilitate issuance of the 3G licence to Globacom to enable it offer Nigerians the latest technology in communication, adding that Globacom was the first to introduce the 2.5 G network, and while no other network has equaled that at the moment, it has gone ahead to test the 3G network, and is awaiting licence for full implementation.