By Jane Nkwocha
The awards received over the weekend by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as The Regulator of the Year 2021 and its Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO), Prof. Umar Danbatta, as the Public Official of the Decade have revved up telecoms contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The awards, landed on their palms on the heels of a public lecture, titled, Public Sector Financing: The Oil Revenue, Challenges, Solutions and Prospects, presented by Prof. Danbatta.
Recall that telecoms’ 12.45 per cent contribution to the nation’s GDP in 2020, which was central and pivotal in taking the nation out of recession.
The awards, by the Nigerian NewsDirect, a multimedia firm, was presented Saturday at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, to commemorate NewsDirect’s 11th Anniversary.
The presentation of the awards was preceded by the Nigerian NewsDirect anniversary public lecture, Delivered by Dapo Okubadejo, the Ogun State Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor.
The paper offers solutions to better public sector financing from the context refocusing on the opportunities and prospects inherent in the oil sector but particularly in other sectors.
The topic of the Lecture and its treatment were fluent and persuasive of the role of NCC in midwifing and enabling the utilisation of telecoms and ICTs applications for economic recovery and growth.
This proves telecoms key contributions in the diversification of the nation’s economy from oil, which is being vigorously pursued by the Federal Government and which NCC is a key sectoral driver.
The strategic role and commitment of NCC in the new economic drive was emphasised by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s Director Public Affairs, who received the awards on behalf of the Commission and the EVC/CEO.
Adinde, while conveying NCC’s gratitude for the award, said “the Commission will not rest on its oars but rededicate itself towards demonstrating its worthiness of the public trust and confidence reposed in it as an agency central to rediversification of the nation’s economy”.
According to him, “these garlands, swelling the repository of awards to NCC would not surprise discerning watchers of national events.
“In November 2021, the Commission conducted a historic auction of the 3.5GHz spectrum, in preparation for the deployment of 5G services to be activated this year.
“It was not the first time NCC will conduct an auction but it was the first time it had completed an auction with the final bid ending at a price more than 30 percent higher than initial bid offer.
“The auction, which started with initial offer of $197.4 million, close after 11 rounds at $273.6 million. Two companies, Mafab Communications and MTN Nigeria Plc, won the bid”.
Besides it routine activities, just a forthnight ago, the EVC delivered the Convocation Lecture of the Fountain University, at Osogbo, where he emphasised the imperative of youth’s embrace and exploration of the opportunities the ICT revolution has offered them to contribute to the nations growth and development.
Similarly, just a day after the Convocation Lecture, a digital training centre, facilitated by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), an arm of NCC, was commissioned at Ijesa Muslim Grammar School, Ilesha, Osun State.
Several personalities (including Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Elumelu Foundation; and Ken Nnamani, President of ATCON); corporate organisations (including Ecobank, Chevron, and Polaris Bank); and State Governments (including Osun, Ogun and Benue) received various categories of awards.
