As Nigerians on this Board that use Bitcoin on an almost daily basis and value what it offers, we can as well categorize ourselves as true participants of the Bitcoin network. Truth is, we've grown to a large extent even though the adoption rate compared to what we have in other regions doesn't match. Like some of us already know, owning a fraction of Bitcoin isn't just the only way to categorize yourself as someone who's part of the network. There are other activities that we as Bitcoin enthusiasts can engage in to make us strong participants of the Bitcoin network, and the common one is running your own node.

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The Bitcoin network is decentralized, in the sense that every participant that runs a node has a valid copy of the blockchain, thereby helping to protect its integrity. The more the participants, the stronger the network becomes.


So, few weeks back, it actually came to my mind to start the whole node running process. As a Nigerian, I definitely faced few challenges, which will be discussed, but just to note that the background image above shows my progress when I almost completed my first download, while the second image at the top right shows my progress for this week, because my plan is to always get a full copy every 7 days.

Why it is Important to run a node

• To further strengthen the Bitcoin network, since you have your own copy of the valid chain.
• Allows you to broadcast your own transaction, and not necessarily through third parties like most of us use.
• For the sake of your own learning, experience and practice, etc.

Challenges for us as Nigerians
This is literally the main discussion of the thread. Running a node, especially during the process of downloading the entire data from scratch, isn't an easy task. It's even more unfortunate that we lack these basic things to some extent, so running a node might be a bit challenging. Here are the few things I experienced...

• Cost of internet subscription -

This is essentially the primary constraint that I faced, and I think most people will face in running one. Since the increment of internet subscription, getting affordable/cheap plans has been quite difficult. Though, I was able to navigate my way through, but the navigation wasn't an easy one either.

• Poor internet connection -

In the process of running a node, there is something we call "progress increase per hour", which can be seen from the image above. If it's between 0.0%-0.99%, then consider your Internet connection to be a weak one. This was literally a big problem at first, until I had to switch for different ISP, before settling for one that offer a better connection.

• Power(Electricity) issues-

Electricity plays a very crucial role because no computer can work with our power. You won't face much of this problem especially when you have a computer that can run for 5-6 hours straight. I was opportuned to enjoy that.

Possible solution and suggestions
Well, for those are interested, and feel that they can try it out, I have few suggestions that might help especially in the area of data cost and poor internet connection...

• From the aspect of poor internet,

I had to settle with the best network in my location. Good internet connection differs from areas, so yours might not be the same as mine. I actually started with glo, then switched to Airtel, before settling for MTN. And even while using the MTN, I had to use the software only at night, to get a better network.

• From the aspect of subscription cost,

I opted for a special bundle that MTN offers via *121#(Smart plan). It wasn't that cheap, but I had to do it a couple of times. Router plan offers something different though, so you can check it out via this URL- https://shop.mtn.ng/shop/data-bundles/broadband-bundles.html

So, at this point, do you have what it takes to run your own node and maybe broadcast your own transactions for any of the reasons above?.

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This thread does not promote any internet service provider. You can also share any cheap plans that you know of.