Telecom
New NCC Boss, Maida Commits to President Tinubu’s Vision on Digital Economy
Dr. Aminu Maida, the new Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said he would align the Commission’s regulatory focus to achieve the promises of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda to advance the nation’s digital transformation agenda.
Maida, who spoke to the Senior Management team of the Commission at the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja Tuesday, said there is a need to ensure that the NCC strategically focuses on ensuring all Nigerians have access to affordable and reliable broadband services. Part of this is to ensure “effective broadband infrastructure diffusion across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
The new telecom regulator paid tributes to former chief executives of the Commission for their laudable role in building a resilient telecoms industry. Dr Maida said the pursuit of improved quality of service on the networks will be one of his priorities, as well as supporting the vision of the Federal Government and the Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy.
“Considering the fact that many people are going more digital and virtual in everything they do, the telecom infrastructure is now under much stress.
“President Tinubu’s vision emphasises the need to build more robust broadband connectivity that will not only facilitate seamless digital transactions but also serve as the bedrock for e-governance and other socio-economic initiatives,” he said.
“As such, we would align with this aspiration to increase broadband penetration to 70 per cent and to cover 90 per cent of the population by 2025. Therefore, we need to build a reliable telecom industry with impressive quality of service (QoS) indicators with quality of experience (QoE) as our watchword and ultimate goal.
“This also requires us to address a number of issues such as the Right of Way (RoW) challenge, ensuring security of our telecom infrastructure, among others. Efforts must be made to significantly improve service delivery by ensuring the NCC is performance-driven,” he said.
“Mr President has a very clear agenda from which all of us are going to take our direction. The two major areas are job creation and enabling the digital economy. Where we are going in a nutshell is; everything that we do in this Commission has to align directly with the Strategic Plan of the Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani and ultimately to the Renewed Hope agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We would not deviate from that.
“We would not entertain anything that deviates from this direction because my key performance indicators (KPIs) are fed into the Minister’s KPIs and the President KPIs come from the electorate that put him into power. The Hon. Minister has said clearly that he is ready to build a robust digital infrastructure and empower three million Nigerians digitally and we have to do our best to support him in this regard,” Maida said.
He stated further that, in the Strategic Plan of the Minister, there was a plan to empower three million Nigerians in digital skills and entrepreneurship, adding that this will require the Commission to support Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) as a digital training institution, to be well positioned in driving the government’s agenda on youth empowerment.
The EVC also emphasised the importance of effective spectrum management and utilisation in supporting the envisioned digital connectivity agenda, which is critical to service deployment to the generality of Nigerians and businesses in the country.
Maida, while appreciating his predecessors and the entire staff of the Commission for the laudable role being played in digital transformation of all sectors by stimulating the deployment of baseline telecom infrastructure, however, called on the staff of the Commission to join his leadership with a sense of purpose as a team towards advancing the actualisation of the President’s Renewed Hope agenda, which, he said, recognises a thriving digital economy in achieving sustainable development and quality of life for all citizens.
Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have threatened to shut down their services in some parts of the country this year if their demand for tariff review is not considered by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said this in a statement signed by Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, its chairman.
According to Adebayo, the survival of the telecom sector demands immediate and bold reform for its sustainability, adding that tariffs must be reviewed to reflect the economic realities of delivering telecom services at a minimum for industry sustainability.
“If nothing is done, we might begin to see in the new year grim consequences unfolding, such as Service Shedding; operators may not be able to provide services in some areas and at some times of the day leaving millions disconnected, there will be significant economic Fallout, because businesses will suffer from a lack of connectivity, stalling growth and innovation.
“There will also be National Economic Disruption where Key sectors like security, commerce, healthcare, and education which rely heavily on telecom infrastructure, will face serious disruptions,” Adebayo said.
Telecom industry is under heavy burden. Emphasising that without the tariff review, operators cannot continue to guarantee service availability, the ALTON Chairman said though the challenges being faced by the telcos are not new, they have become more acute and more threatening with this passing year.
He said that rising operational costs, skyrocketing energy costs, the relentless pressure of inflation, and volatile exchange rates, amongst others, have all placed an unsustainable burden on network operators. He said that despite these mounting pressures, tariffs have remained stagnant, leaving operators trapped in a financial quagmire.
According to him, the resources needed to maintain, expand, and modernise telecom networks are no longer available and without intervention, “the future of this sector is at grave risk.”
The ALTON chairman noted that stakeholders have done their best over the years to sustain the sector by upholding the values and importance of telecommunications in society.
“However, let me be clear: our work is far from over. It is not enough to have kept the sector afloat; we must now focus on securing its future. The sustainability challenges we face today are not just a passing storm—they are a clarion call for decisive action to ensure that this industry thrives for generations to come. Despite the dire warnings, we still believe that a better 2025 is possible—but only if we act now. Let this be the moment when we come together, acknowledge the urgency of the situation, and commit to saving this sector,” he said.
Association of Telephone Cable TV and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) has said that operators would not review tariff without consulting stakeholders.
ATCIS was reacting to fears to rumours that telecom operators were planning tariff increment early this year.
Recall the operators had threatened service disruption without an increment in tariff even as the operators await regulatory nod to effect an increase in tariff.
But Prince Sina Bilesanmi, national president, TCIS-Nigeria, said the association confirmed from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that there has not been an increment.
“ATCIS had written a letter to the NCC dated December 24th, 2024 requesting the Commission to clarify the new tariff increment proposed to be announced on December 13, 2024 as reported by the national daily and the online platforms, which they said would take off in January 2025.
“Firstly, there are procedures for tariff review like; cost study, consultation, enlightenment, engagement of Stakeholders like ATCIS being telecom subscriber advocacy body and all these requirements are not yet met by telcos,” he said.
He urged telecom subscribers not to panic, saying the NCC is the authorised body to announce tariff increment.
“The commission would have made an official statement regarding tariff increase. Therefore, people should disregard whoever said he is the spokesperson of NCC.
“Telecom subscriber members of the public should watch out for some unscrupulous reporters that are being used to destabilise the telecommunication industry. There’s no new tariff, and if such will happen every stakeholder would be carried along,” he said.
He assured that the association would not rest on its oar to ensure sanctity of information, saying their mission is to promote mutual co-existence, fair play and defend the rights of telecom subscribers.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has dismissed claims of a telecommunications tariff hike allegedly set to take effect in January 2025.
The Commission described the reports as false and unfounded, urging subscribers to disregard the misinformation.
A senior NCC official, emphasised that the regulatory body operates under a transparent framework guided by the Nigerian Communications Act, according to Punch Newspaper.
According to the official, this framework requires stakeholder consultations and strict adherence to due process before any tariff adjustments are approved.
“These rumours are baseless and misleading. The NCC is committed to protecting consumers and ensuring that any potential tariff changes are communicated clearly and transparently,” the official stated.
“Subscribers can rest assured that no tariff increase has been approved,” he added.
The NCC also appealed to journalists and industry stakeholders to verify information before publication, stressing the importance of accurate reporting to avoid unnecessary public panic.
Reiterating its commitment to consumer interests and the stability of the telecommunications industry, the Commission assured Nigerians that updates on tariffs or related matters would always be communicated through official channels.
The Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) also addressed the rumours.
Speaking in Lagos, Mr Sina Bilesanmi, national president, ATCIS, stated that the association sought clarification directly from the NCC on December 24, 2024.
“The NCC confirmed there is no truth to claims of call charges increasing to N15.40 per minute from N11, SMS charges rising to N5.60, or 1GB of data costing N1,400 instead of N1,000.
“Any changes in tariffs, if necessary, will follow due process and involve input from all stakeholders, including ATCIS. There is no cause for alarm,” Bilesanmi said.
Both the NCC and ATCIS emphasised their commitment to consumer protection and urged subscribers to rely on verified information from credible sources.
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