The newly appointed executive vice chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida has expressed his commitment to align the commission’s regulatory focus with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda to further the nation’s digital transformation.
In his address to the senior management team of the commission at the commission’s head office in Abuja, Maida stressed the importance of strategically focusing on ensuring that all Nigerians have access to affordable and reliable broadband services. This includes facilitating effective broadband infrastructure expansion across the entire nation.
Maida paid tribute to former chief executives of the commission for their significant contributions to building a resilient telecoms industry. He emphasised that improving the quality of service on telecom networks will be a top priority, along with supporting the vision of the Federal Government and the Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy.
He acknowledged the growing reliance on digital and virtual solutions in various aspects of life, placing considerable stress on the telecom infrastructure. President Tinubu’s vision underscores the need to establish robust broadband connectivity that not only enables seamless digital transactions but also serves as the foundation for e-governance and other socio-economic initiatives.
In line with this vision, Maida affirmed the Commission’s commitment to increasing broadband penetration to 70 per cent and extending coverage to 90 per cent of the population by 2025. Achieving this objective necessitates building a reliable telecom industry with impressive quality of service (QoS) indicators, with quality of experience (QoE) as the ultimate goal.
Addressing several challenges, such as the Right of Way (RoW) issues and ensuring the security of telecom infrastructure, is also essential to significantly enhance service delivery and ensure a performance-driven NCC.
Dr. Maida highlighted that the Commission’s direction is crystal clear and aligned with the Strategic Plan of the Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani and ultimately the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This alignment is based on the two major focus areas of job creation and enabling the digital economy.
He underscored the need to stay true to these directions, as his key performance indicators (KPIs) are closely linked to those of the minister and the president, who derive their KPIs from the electorate that elected them into power.
Maida also pointed out that the minister’s strategic plan includes empowering three million Nigerians in digital skills and entrepreneurship. To support this goal, the commission will back the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) as a digital training institution to drive the government’s youth empowerment agenda.
Effective spectrum management and utilisation are crucial in supporting the envisioned digital connectivity agenda, which is integral to providing services to Nigerians and businesses across the country.
Maida expressed his appreciation for the commendable role played by his predecessors and the entire staff of the Commission in stimulating the deployment of baseline telecom infrastructure to transform all sectors. He called upon the commission’s staff to join him in a unified effort to advance the realisation of the President’s Renewed Hope agenda. This vision recognises a thriving digital economy as the means to achieve sustainable development and improve the quality of life for all citizens.
