By Angela Nkwocha
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami has charged the Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), led by Prof. Adeolu Akande, on effective sanitization of improperly registered SIM cards as well as effective regulation of the telecom industry in Nigeria.
Pantami gave the charge in his office in Abuja during the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Akande as the new Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the NCC.
He tasked them on the need to develop regulations on the number of SIM cards an individual or organisation can have at any particular time, as well as ensure seamless integration of SIM data with the national database of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
He further called on Mr Akande to bring to bear his wealth of knowledge so that his tenure would be noted with positive impact on Nigerians with resounding successes and achievement, stressing on the need for him to “hit the ground running”, as according to him “there is no time for celebrations now and no time for honeymoon”.
Speaking after taking his oath of office Prof. Akande, gave the assurance that the Board under his watch with the combined efforts of other management team of the Commission will work hard to ensure it provides quality directions for effective regulations of the nation’s telecommunications industry, to boost national economy. He also expressed optimism that the telecommunication sector will improve its contribution to the GDP and enhance the status of the security architecture of the country.
“There is no doubt that NCC has a major role to play in our national life at this time, especially in the area of security. For instance, many people on the street believe that security of lives and property will be bolstered once NCC is able to properly address issues connected to Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) registration, because we would have helped to resolve a critical percentage of our security issue significantly”, he said.
“I know our Minister is someone, who normally sets high expectations and standards. I have worked with him at NITDA and I know he is somebody who normally expects the best from his team. To this end, I give you the commitment of the Board and management of NCC to work together to meet and exceed expectations,” he said.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta expressed gratitude to the President and the Minister for their continuous support to the Commission and for ensuring that the Commission has full complement of the NCC board members.
Akande, has served as Chairman of the Board of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) before his present appointment, and is representing the South West zone, as the Chairman of NCC Board of Commissioners, with Chief Uche Onwude, as the commissioner representing the South-East zone.
