Nigeria’s plan to sell a controlling stake in ntel, formerly Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), is shaping up to be more than just another state divestment. For AMCON, the sale marks the next step in its statutory mandate rather than a strategic retreat. Expanding fibre networks, deploying next-generation mobile technologies and modernising telecom infrastructure require sustained, capital-intensive investment that AMCON, as a state-backed asset recovery agency, was never designed to provide. “AMCON is not a long-term investor in these kinds of businesses,” ntel Chief Executive Officer Soji Maurice-Diya said in an interview with TechCabal. The sale follows a two-year restructuring aimed at repositioning ntel beyond Nigeria’s crowded retail mobile market.