The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, has enjoined telecoms licensees to ensure compliance with provisions of extant laws, subsidiary legislation and other regulatory frameworks.
According to him, the regulations were put in place by the commission to ensure a more competitive and sustainable telecoms sector in Nigeria.
Danbatta gave the charge at a two-day tripartite dialogue of the Commission tagged, ‘Talk To The Regulator (TTTR) Forum’ which was held in Kano on Friday.
The programme had in attendance representatives of more than 104 telecoms licensees in different categories and segments of the Nigerian telecoms market as well as consumers of telecoms services.
Danbatta said while the commission continues to engender an effective regulatory environment, there is a need for licensees to support several initiatives carefully designed to enhance market opportunities for all its licensees.
“Telecoms industry sustainability can only be guaranteed where all licensees ensure full and effective compliance with licence conditions and other regulatory prescriptions. So, this forum provides an opportunity to discuss areas where some of our licensees are falling short of their licence obligations, and how we can collectively improve on the present situation,” he said.
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The EVC highlighted some of the key policies that have been articulated by the Federal Government, including the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS, 2020-2030); the Nigerian national Broadband Plan (NNBP, 2020-202), the Revised national Digital Identity Policy for SIM Registration, among others.
He asked for the licensees’ full and unalloyed commitment to ensure their successful implementation.
Danbatta also briefed the licensees about some activities, which the commission is pursuing to further facilitate the achievement of its regulatory mandate.
These include the recently-launched NCC’s five-pillar Strategic Vision Plan (SVP, 2021,2025); commencement of a comprehensive review of its licensing frameworks; and ongoing reviews of other key regulatory instruments to align with the rapidly emerging contemporary developments.
Others include the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) linkage exercise and the ongoing efforts to launch the Fifth Generation (5G) network in Nigeria.
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, emphasised the need for strict compliance with telecoms regulations by the licensees, adding that telecoms has continued to lead national economic growth through effective regulation and adherence to rules of engagement by the licensees.
Adewolu said the sector has consistently driven the growth of the Nigerian economy and has provided critical infrastructure required for the digital transformation of practically all spheres of life.
He declared that in the second quarter of 2021, the Information and Communication technology (ICT) sector sustained its trajectory of growth and contributed 17.9 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic product (GDP).
“The NCC has, therefore, organised this forum to enable us to strengthen collaboration along these three lines, to enable our valued stakeholders to give us feedback on ongoing initiatives, and to enable you to seek clarifications on issue of concern,” Adewolu told the forum.
In his remarks, Director, Licensing and Authorisation, NCC, Mohammed Babajika, said the commission recognises the importance of various service providers, hence the need to constantly engage the licensees with a view to identifying generic and unique challenges and collectively proffering solutions to them.
