Key members of the top echelon of the Management of ipNX, a licensee of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), were at the Commission yesterday for a courtesy visit.

The delegation from ipNX, led by the Group Managing Director, Ejovi Aror, praised the Management of NCC for its superlative regulatory activities, describing the Commission’s actions as marked by efficiency and effectiveness.

Aror also hinted about the company’s plan to expand its operations in Nigeria, in a manner that will heighten the role of the telecom sector in the growth of the Nigerian economy.

The Group Managing Director of ipNX, also notified the Commission that the operation of the company has come to a critical juncture and ipNX is happy to migrate from the stage where it is now to a more strategic stage where it will play a greater role in the efforts to expand broadband infrastructures in Nigeria.

“Therefore, we are here to solicit your support for our plan to expand our businesses because we are at the threshold of closing a chapter and moving onto another, particularly in expanding broadband infrastructure which is critical to national development’’, Aror stated with unmistakable optimism.

Aror also informed the management of NCC about some of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. The most central and significant of them, according to Aror, is the free Internet access to schools in Lagos and Oyo States.

Importantly, Aror emphasized ipNX readiness to extend such services to other parts of the country, particularly in schools, because of the importance of ICT to educational development.

Responding to the ipNX delegation, Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, who was represented by the Commission’s Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management (ECSM), Adeleke Adewolu, thanked ipNX for the visit and for the testimony about how NCC’s regulatory activities have caused growth in leaps and bounds in the fortunes of the telecom ecosystem.

Adewolu declared that NCC is particularly gratified by the remarkable and quantifiable impact of Commission’s activities on the economy, including increase in the sectoral contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Adewolu promised that the encouraging words of ipNX’s delegation will spur the Commission to put in more efforts towards achieving its mandate.

Putting in context the trajectory of landmarks in the telecom sector, Adeleke recalled the history of the evolution of the telecom industry in Nigeria, declaring that Decree 75 of 1992 which established the Commission, was a great feat. The NCC Executive Commissioner also said the courageous deregulation and liberalisation of the telecom sector by the Federal Government in the year 2000 was a masterstroke.

Adewolu said that action triggered uncommon liberalization that caused a rare leap in the democratisation of access to telephone services, from a few hundred hitherto existing fixed lines in 1992 to over two hundred million subscriptions today.

Nudging ipNX to offer its best to the growth of the telecom sector, the ECSM stated that the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the capacity of the Nigerian economy to survive the contagion have demonstrated the importance of the telecom sector because most social and economic activities simply migrated to online platforms. “So we are delighted about your interest in expanding broadband infrastructure”, Adewolu said to underscore the importance and contribution of broadband infrastructure to human survival at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ECSM also informed the visitors that the Commission, with the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, is ready and willing to partner with stakeholders to accomplish the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030; and the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025.

Adewolu, reckoning the correlation between increase in broadband infrastructure and GDP of economies, asserted that the Management of NCC is all out to work with all stakeholders, including its licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), to expand broadband access, especially to the unserved and underserved areas of the country.

At the reception of ipNX delegation were other Management staff of the Commission including Usman Mamman, Deputy Director, Licensing and Authorisation; Afure Iloka, Special Assistant on Legal Matters to the EVC; Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Head Online Media, who represented Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director Public Affairs; Abubakar Kurfi, Assistant Director, Licensing and Authorisation; and Quassim Odunmbaku, the Special Assistant to the ECSM.

Aror, was accompanied on the visit to the Commission by the Group Executive Director, Commercials, ipNX, Bimpe Olaleye; Divisional CEO, ipNX Infrastructure Division, Uche Nnakenyi; and Tunde Olorunyomi, Financial Controller, ipNX.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has blacklisted at least 40 Nigerian firms and individuals for engaging in corrupt practices, fraud and collusive practices between 2017 and 2021, according to data obtained from the bank’s website.

The AfDB said the firms and individuals were debarred “for coercive, collusive, corrupt, fraudulent, or obstructive practices under its sanctions system or adopted under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions from other global lenders.”

Due to the debarment, the firms and individuals are not eligible to engage in projects financed or implemented by the AfDB.

The AfDB statement stated in part. “The individuals and firms below have been sanctioned by the African Development Bank Group or by signatories to the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions.

Sanctions are imposed on entities found to have participated in coercive, collusive, corrupt, fraudulent, or obstructive practices under the Bank’s sanctions system or adopted under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions.

“These individuals and firms are therefore considered ineligible to participate in contracts financed or administered by the African Development Bank Group for the stipulated periods.”

While some of the debarments were made by AfDB, others were made by the World Bank Group, but recognised by other multilateral organisations including the AfDB under the cross-debarment policy.

In 2017, a Nigerian and a Nigerian firm were debarred by the World Bank under the cross-debarment policy recognised by the AfDB.

In 2018, two Nigerians and two Nigerian firms were debarred by the World Bank under the cross-debarment policy recognised by the AfDB.

Mr. Patrick Alozie Onwuka and Marabef Global Limited were debarred from January 11, 2018, to January 10, 2022, while  Mr. Efe Michael Udumebraye and his firm, Efemaz Construction and GE Services Limited, were debarred from December 13, 2018, to December 12, 2022.

In 2019, five Nigerians and seven Nigerian firms were debarred, making a total of 12. Out of this, six debarments were made by the AfDB and the rest by the World Bank. The AfDB debarred Abuharaira Labaran Gero and his firm, ALG Global Concept Nigeria Limited, from January 23, 2019, to January 2022.

The World Bank debarred Mr. Benson Ojoko, Mr. Henry Chinedu Ojoko, and their firm, Emmajoko Nigeria Enterprises, from January 29, 2019, to January 28, 2024, under the cross-debarment policy recognised by the AfDB.

The AfDB also debarred Oceanic Construction and Engineering Nigeria Limited from February 1, 2019, to January 31, 2023.

The World Bank debarred Mr. Robinson Ojoko and his firms, Rojoke CNE Services Limited and CNE Environmental and Waste Services Limited, from February 5, 2019, to February 4, 2024, under the cross-debarment policy recognised by the AfDB.

While the AfDB debarred Qualitrends Global Solutions Nigeria Limited from April 16, 2019 to April 15, 2022, the bank debarred (Mr. Bamidele Obiniyi (also known as Mr. Bamidele Abayomi) and Lutoyilex Construct Limited from May 14, 2019, to May 13, 2022.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is collaborating with security agencies in the country to fish out and prosecute ponzi scheme operators who specialise in defrauding innocent Nigerians of their money, according to Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, director, corporate communications department of the apex bank.

Nwanisobi added that the apex bank has also embarked on the sensitisation of members of the public on how best to identify and avoid such fraudulent schemes.

He disclosed this in Abakaliki during this year’s edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria Fair which took place at  Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki.

“We expect that we should be our greatest security for yourselves. And so, when we sensitise the people on such ponzi schemes and they begin to see some of these things, they will know. The other thing is for us to work with security agencies to ensure that those who defraud Nigerians must be brought to book”.

“We have done quite a number in this regard. We work with security agencies to ensure that those who claim what they are not, are brought to book”.

“But the most important thing, like I keep saying, is that we are the greatest security. There is no way somebody will come and tell you that he has a product that will give you 10 per cent every month and that translates to 120 per cent per annum”.

“Where is he going to make the money from? What kind of business is the person doing? Is the person regulated?”

Speaking on the E-Naira launched by President Muhammadu Buhari recently, he said “the issue of security and dependability of the e-naira platform is guaranteed, guaranteed because the technology uses cryptography encrypted with two factors authentication”.

“The E-Naira project is a journey, we expect that there are going to be minor challenges and I can tell you where some of these things are coming from”.

In an address, Mr. Chris Ajayi,  Abakaliki controller, CBN, decried low South East participation in various economic initiatives of the central bank.

Mr. Ajayi said the low participation of the initiatives by the South East has remained so for years despite efforts to enlighten and sensitise them on those initiatives.

He urged people in the zone to take advantage of the various CBN economic initiatives and policies to enhance their economic growth and wellbeing.

“The CBN fair has served as a veritable platform to enlighten the public on the various initiatives of the bank.

This sensitisation fair like others before it, is anchored on the pursuit of sound economic policies that will engender economic growth through the financial leverage that these initiatives provide”.

Some of these initiatives include the payment system initiative, real sector initiative, financial inclusion, consumer rights, grievance redress mechanism and a host of others”.

“We are all aware of the launch of the CBN digital currency known as e-naira by the president on October 25, 2021. It is my sincere hope that all questions regarding any grey area would be adequately addressed in this fair”.