N-2-3-014.10.2 Networking in Nigeria by Chuma Agbodike Is there networking in Nigeria? That's a question I've been asked by many people who would like to reach their friends and colleagues in Nigeria via electronic mail. In this article I will share with you my experiences in attempting to establish a reliable e-mail link with Nigeria. I have been running a FidoNet node in southern California since 1986 and have seen FidoNet expand in five continents to over twenty thousand listed nodes. When FidoNet Zone 5 (Africa) appeared, I was elated because I expected to soon see nodes from Nigeria. When time passed and still no node from Nigeria, I resolved to establish one there myself. The opportunity came in 1990 when I decided to relocate to Nigeria. I took two computers with me and two modems, a US Robotics 9600 bps and a 2400 bps smarTEAM. I got to Lagos and rented a house that would double as my office and residence. I then went to NITEL (the state run Nigerian telecommunications company) to apply for a phone. I was promptly told that there were no more lines available in my area. I had been warned by acquaintances that it wasn't going to be easy, but I had to start somewhere. I was soon approached by "agents" right outside the local NITEL office who said they could procure a line for me. I negotiated with one of them and set him into motion. Within three weeks the line was installed in my office, but it cost me the equivalent of about $2,800. NITEL's stated costs for an international direct dial line and a phone set at the time was about $500. It is now about $800. Two days later I setup my FidoNet mailer and sent e-mail to my home in California. I had an identical US Robotics modem on the California node, but had difficultly making a good connect. My attempts were plagued by line noise, and when the modems did connect, bps would drop to about 300 bps and carrier was dropped several times. I once needed a 90K file that took three tries to retrieve. The session that eventually succeeded lasted twenty minutes. At about $1.50 a minute you can figure the cost. Within a month the modem got fried. Shortly after that the computer also got zapped. The modem was damaged when an assistant plugged its 110 volt power supply directly into a 220 volt outlet. The computer was a victim of the numerous power outages that are routine in Lagos. I learned a few things from that initial experience, so when I returned to the US I had some ideas to implement the next time around. Back in the US, I discovered that several people were very interested in my efforts to establish an electronic link with Nigeria. I was contacted by one of them, Bob Barad of Baobab Communications in Washington, DC. Good thing, because Bob runs a FidoNet node and offered to work with me and serve as a test site. I returned to Nigeria in April 1993, arriving just in time to join Bob and others at the closing sessions of the UNESCO-supported Regional Informatics Networks for Africa (RINAF) electronic networking workshop that was held at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. This time I brought three modems. A Zyxel v32bis, an AT&T v32bis, and an internal 1200 bps modem. Also a surge suppressor, a noise eliminator, and a new 386DX 33 mHz computer with 200 mb hard disk. Some folks I had consulted with suggested the Telebit WorldBlazer, but I could not afford it. When I got to Lagos my phone line was dead. It took more bribes to resurrect the line. While I was gone some crooks were apparently using my line, in collaboration with devious NITEL employees, to call all over the world. I had to pay those phone calls plus some extra to restore the line. It's a common occurrence in Lagos. The NITEL authorities claim that they are working to nip that practice, but that remains to be seen. I quickly got back on the air to London, Johannesburg, and Bob in Washington, DC. It was often difficult to obtain a clean link with them, but we did manage several successful 14400 bps connections. The Zyxel proved to be the better modem. The AT&T modem despite its "Optical Link" hype was poor. By sending FidoNet mail through Bob's FidoNet to Uucp gateway, I was able to send e-mail to anyone with an internet address. I still maintain an address on his system so he can forward e-mail to me at either my California or Lagos-based FidoNet nodes, depending on where I happen to be at the time. Having established that e-mail to and from Nigeria is possible, I proceeded to solicit other people to join me in building a network. Some folks showed interest, but then I had to deal with the unreliability of power from NEPA (the Nigerian Electrical Power Authority). The daily power outage was so bad that I had to rent a standby generator. That helped, but during the numerous outages both v32bis modems got wrecked. The surge suppressor proved inadequate though the computer survived. I was eventually down to using the internal 1200 bps modem. Meanwhile NITEL had hiked its per minute charge to $2.50. I was still recruiting potential nodes when the current political crises in Nigeria erupted. I was running out of funds and with the major components out of commission I decided to return to the US to regroup. The Future Although Nigerian universities and other institutions of higher learning are very eager to get electronically linked to the rest of the world, they receive little support from the government. Their staff are always fighting a constant battle to be paid their monthly salary. Infrastructure that is taken for granted in other parts of the world is barely functional. Most phones don't work and the rare ones that do get commandeered by higher ups in the pecking order. During the power outages, I was appalled that one institution I was working with had to pass through a seemingly endless bureaucratic maze just to get the necessary approvals for renting a generator, while I was able to obtain one and have it running in an hour. Hopefully this will begin to change if and when a democratic government that is accountable to an electorate gets established in Nigeria. Despite all of these challenges, I'm confident that a reliable e-mail link with Nigeria will be available soon. Perhaps it will exist by the time you read this. RINAF is working on it. Mike Lawrie from South Africa is too. As are Mikko Korpela from Finland, Karen Banks from London, and others. For my part, I will continue to pursue my own end and remain eager to build partnerships with any and all persons who wish to see electronic networking in Nigeria flourish.