By Victor Ahiuma-Young
THE number of Nigerians on the Internet is about 43.9 million, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).  Mr. Abasiama Idaresit Managing Director Wild Fusion,  an internet marketing firm based in Ikoyi said:

“This is the latest stats from the International Telecommunication Union, ITU and this makes Nigeria the largest internet population by country in Africa  dwarfing South Africa, Morrocco, Kenya and Egypt combined”.

Idaresit also stated that about 39.6% of all Internet traffic from Africa is  from Nigeria and 29.8% of the population access the Internet, adding that with the launch of the submarine cables linking Lagos and Europe, cost of broadband Internet will definitely drop and more Nigerians will get online.

He  said that the main challenge to internet penetration is dearth of infrastructure especially power, calling on government to encourage penetration by improving infrastructure and encouraging private sector investment.

According to Idaresit, Facebook, Google and Yahoo are the top three most visited web destination by Nigerians. “This is a great opportunity for advertisers and brands seeking to engage consumers using the Internet. With the right mix of Social Media, Display Ads and Search marketing, advertisers can improve their visibility at reduced cost.”

Wild Fusion, a digital marketing firm specialises in online media sales, digital marketing, social media engagement and web analytics services. Wild Fusion is exclusive representative for Facebook in Nigeria and works with other global Internet companies including Google and Nielson.