The telecommunications sector has contributed $70billion to the GDP of the nation in the last six years. This was revealed during the annual national conference of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, (NSE) held recently in Abuja
While speaking at the event, ,the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, Professor Umaru Garba Danbatta disclosed that this attainment was possible as the commission has during the period recorded seventeen major achievements to reposition the nations telecom sector as one of the biggest revenue generating organs for the federal government. He further stated that this achievements has almost surpassed the target set by the commission under it’s ten year development plan.
Professor Danbatta disclosed this while presenting his address during the conferment of Man of the Year Award on him and others by the National Institute of ICT Engineers, NIICTE during this year’s annual conference of the Nigeria Society of Engineers which held virtually Tuesday in Abuja.
the NCC chairman said the place of ICT engineers in the emerging digital sector of the nation’s economy just as the sector is also at the forefront of developed economies like the United States and China. Professor Danbatta disclosed that the development plan of the NCC is in line with the policy of the federal government to lift 100million Nigerians out of poverty within a ten year period .
In order to achieve this objective, Danbatta listed five point agenda which includes Organisational renewal to achieve optimum efficiency; provision of broad based infrastructures to drive the sector; Improvement in the quality of services for the telecommunications sector.
Other aspect of the Agenda ,the EVC said include Facilitating fair competition among players in the sector and promoting strategic cooperation and partnership among players in the sector.
As a result of the successful implementation of this 5-point agenda ,he said the NCC is able to attain full fledge development of digital economy;pursue and drag the target and the licensing of companies in the six geo political zones of the country with each having at least 10 maga based capacity.
Among the other core achievements of the NCC according to him, is the approval of the deployment of the 5G policy by the federal government and the significant signing if a Memorandum of Understanding between it and the Nigerian Communication Satellite, NICOMSAT, to free up between 3.4-3.9 megawatts in the country.
Yet, he said the NCC was also able to get an update national frequency allocation and also open up the 5G series; development of spectrum guidelines and development of regulatory guidelines for Television in rural areas of the country.
Furthermore, the NCC during the last six years was also able to issue landing permits for space stations and opening up of 23 emergency communication centres across the country among others.
In his message, another recipient of the NIICTE Man of the Year award, His Royal Highness Engr Otis Anyaeji,FCENG ,the paramount ruler of Okija, called on the institution to ensure that it fashion out a unique Nigerian body of knowledge and also formulate a code of ethics for the practitioners of ICT in the country.
He said this code will assist all other engineering disciplines to achieve their destiny of positively promoting humanity.
