LET THE LINES HE LAID NEVER BE FORGOTTEN: TRIBUTE TO PROF. (ENGR.) JOSEPH NDIDI OFULUE, PIONEER OF NIGERIA’S TELECOMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION (1947 – 2026)

By Our Reporter

Before the smartphones. Before the 4G towers. Before Nigerians could call across continents with a tap — there was a man who laid the very first line.

Prof. (Engr.) Joseph Ndidi Ofulue, FNSE, FNIM, FPEFON, FCIPA (UK) has passed on. But the connections he built will outlive us all.

THE ENGINEER WHO CONNECTED A NATION

Born in Nigeria, Prof. Ofulue’s journey began in the classrooms of Immaculate Conception College, Benin (1958-1962) and P&T College Lagos (1963-1966). It took him from the lecture halls of Technical University Dresden, East Germany, where he earned his DIPL-ING and http://M.Eng (1967-1973), to Brunel University, UK, where he bagged his M.Phil and Ph.D in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (1974-1978).

But his classroom was Nigeria. And his students were 200 million people.

In 1963, as a pioneer staff of Post & Telecommunications (P&T) Lagos, he began a 35-year career that would redefine Nigeria’s place in the digital world. He rose through the ranks of NET and NITEL Plc, retiring in 1998 as General Manager (Operations). In 1993, he briefly served as Acting Managing Director of NITEL — a testament to the trust he commanded.

THE MAN BEHIND THE “090” REVOLUTION

In 1991, under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, Prof. Ofulue engineered Nigeria’s entry into mobile telephony by introducing the “090” mobile phone network — complete with Ericsson and Motorola handsets and Motorola pagers. For the first time, Nigerians could carry a phone in their pocket.

Earlier, between 1979 and 1984 under Presidents Shehu Shagari and General Muhammadu Buhari, he had introduced the British card and pay phone system — giving ordinary Nigerians access to public telephony at a time when private phones were a luxury.

He wasn’t just operating systems. He was opening doors.

A SCHOLAR, AN INVENTOR, A PATRIOT

Prof. Ofulue was more than a technocrat. He was a scholar of the highest order with over 43 patents in Telecommunications and Electrical & Electronics Engineering and 20+ books in computing and engineering to his name.

He lectured and mentored hundreds of students at LASU, FUTO, Delta State Polytechnic, Tansian University, Igbinedion University, Babcock University, and beyond. He founded IG Ltd Satellite Consulting and the Digital Knowledge Academy, and served as Chairman of J.A.M Ltd.

A Fellow of over 20 professional bodies — from FNSE to MIEEE to MACM — he represented Nigeria with distinction as Senior Programme Assignee at INTELSAT, USA and Senior Technical Research Leader in Singapore.

From 1978 until his retirement in 1998, he worked closely with every Head of State and President, championing telecommunications as a tool for job creation and economic growth.

THE GENTLEMAN BEHIND THE GENIUS

To the world, he was a pioneer. To his family, he was Diokpa of the Ofulue Family and Prince of Olukumí Kingdom, Aniocha North LGA, Delta State — a gentle, calm, fatherly, loving, thorough, disciplined, meticulous, fun, and book-loving grandfather of 11 grandchildren.

To his friends, he was loyal. As Douglas Onyemah wrote in a recent tribute on April 26, 2026:

“Prof. Ofulue, you were a loyal companion to our father, a pillar of strength, and a constant presence in our lives. Your kindness, wisdom, and quiet generosity left a mark that time can never erase.”

A LEGACY WRITTEN IN CABLES AND CIRCUITS

Prof. Ofulue did not seek the spotlight. He worked in switching centres, research labs, and boardrooms — where nations are truly built.

He retired in 1998. But his work did not. Every call made today. Every mobile network that lights up a village. Every digital opportunity seized by a Nigerian youth — it traces back to the foundation he laid.

Nigeria he served with great passion for Technology & Telecommunications.

FINAL SALUTE

Prof. (Engr.) Joseph Ndidi Ofulue — the Diokpa, the Prince, the Pioneer, the Professor, the Engineer.

You connected Nigeria. Now heaven has connected you to eternity.

Rest well, Prof. Dad. May the memory of Prof. (Engr.) Joseph Ndidi Ofulue be with us forever.