NCC Committed to Tackling Telecom Infrastructure Deficit – Danbatta

NCC Committed to Tackling Telecom Infrastructure Deficit – Danbatta

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is irrevocably committed to the implementation of various regulatory initiatives and programmes, in collaboration with all stakeholders in the telecom ecosystem, towards bridging identified gaps and shortages in critical telecom infrastructure in the country. The overarching objective is to fulfil Commission’s mandate and support extant and emergent policies and strategies of the Federal Government focused on providing ubiquitous, accessible and affordable broadband services in Nigeria.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, stated this during an in-house interview which took place at the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja recently. The EVC emphasized the centrality of infrastructure to telecom service provisioning by asserting that availability of broadband in sufficiency was non-negotiable and irreducible in the nation’s strategy towards delivering pervasive telecom services.

Danbatta also put the efforts of Government in context towards addressing infrastructure gaps, and commended both state and non-state actors for the vision, diligence and continued dedication to the implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, an initiative of the Federal Government, being driven by NCC and conceived to address infrastructure gaps in the telecom and ICT sector. The EVC said he was gratified that the new plan particularly took into consideration, the identified gaps and challenges in its precursor, the National Broadband Plan 2013-2018, which implementation the NCC was equally central to.

According to Danbatta, one of the identified gaps to robust connectivity was the fact that inadequate infrastructure remained a bane to achieving desired broadband penetration to boost access to services that will enhance economic growth and development. He emphasised that the Commission recognises the importance of infrastructure expansion and this explains its unequivocal commitment and desire to see the licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) work speedily and with precision to cascade fibre to the hinterland, in order to enhance robust telecom service provision. He said the InfraCo licensees, expectedly, also prioritize stipulated licensing conditions to ensure expected milestones set by the Commission are achieved.

The EVC stated that Commission’s target for licensing the infraCos was to ensure the deployment of fibre infrastructure needed for pervasive broadband penetration across the 774 local government areas (LGAs). This, he said, will ensure access to telecoms services in the hinterlands of the country, and by so doing address the challenges of access confronting the unserved and underserved areas of the country.

Danbatta also placed on record Commission’s desire for inclusiveness as seminal to erecting sustainable telecom architecture. This, according to him is critical in ensuring the achievement of Federal Government’s target on digital access and financial inclusion.

One visible area of beneficial financial service riding on telecom infrastructure is the provision of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) for financial transactions across various financial institutions’ platforms. This feat, Danbatta asserted, has brought ease to financial transactions, even as he recalled that NCC is providing support for e-payment initiatives and policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), including the e-Naira project, which is the digital currency issued and regulated by the apex bank.

“So, the Commission is committed to ensuring inclusiveness by ensuring the provision of affordable and pervasive accessibility to the Internet as emphasised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations (UN). We are aware that until commensurate infrastructure is deployed in the country, the country may not hit the required target necessary for the desired economic development,” the EVC added.

Additionally, Danbatta stated that the Commission has recorded remarkable progression with respect to contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is besides facilitating investment, enhancing Quality of Service (QoS) to enhance consumer quality of experience and stakeholder satisfaction in line with the expectations of the Strategic Management Plan 2020-2024. He assured that Commission will heightened efforts in all areas of the Plan as streamlined in new Strategic Vision Implementation Plan (SVIP) 2021-2025, including facilitating strategic collaboration and partnering through which it has forged quantifiable strategic alliances with its ever-expanding array of stakeholders.

Concerning NCC’s pioneering strides in the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) network in Sub-Saharan Africa, Danbatta explained that the rollout of 5G network in Nigeria will require more infrastructure for the service to reach all parts of the country. He called for concerted efforts and unwavering commitment of all stakeholders for the nation to achieve steady, timely and accurate deployment of 5G services because of its benefits to individuals, businesses and the growth of the country.

NCC Committed to Tackling Telecom Infrastructure Deficit – Danbatta

NCC Committed to Tackling Telecom Infrastructure Deficit – Danbatta

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is irrevocably committed to the implementation of various regulatory initiatives and programmes, in collaboration with all stakeholders in the telecom ecosystem, towards bridging identified gaps and shortages in critical telecom infrastructure in the country. The overarching objective is to fulfil Commission’s mandate and support extant and emergent policies and strategies of the Federal Government focused on providing ubiquitous, accessible and affordable broadband services in Nigeria.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, stated this during an in-house interview which took place at the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja recently. The EVC emphasized the centrality of infrastructure to telecom service provisioning by asserting that availability of broadband in sufficiency was non-negotiable and irreducible in the nation’s strategy towards delivering pervasive telecom services.

Danbatta also put the efforts of Government in context towards addressing infrastructure gaps, and commended both state and non-state actors for the vision, diligence and continued dedication to the implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, an initiative of the Federal Government, being driven by NCC and conceived to address infrastructure gaps in the telecom and ICT sector. The EVC said he was gratified that the new plan particularly took into consideration, the identified gaps and challenges in its precursor, the National Broadband Plan 2013-2018, which implementation the NCC was equally central to.


According to Danbatta, one of the identified gaps to robust connectivity was the fact that inadequate infrastructure remained a bane to achieving desired broadband penetration to boost access to services that will enhance economic growth and development. He emphasised that the Commission recognises the importance of infrastructure expansion and this explains its unequivocal commitment and desire to see the licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) work speedily and with precision to cascade fibre to the hinterland, in order to enhance robust telecom service provision. He said the InfraCo licensees, expectedly, also prioritize stipulated licensing conditions to ensure expected milestones set by the Commission are achieved.

The EVC stated that Commission’s target for licensing the infraCos was to ensure the deployment of fibre infrastructure needed for pervasive broadband penetration across the 774 local government areas (LGAs). This, he said, will ensure access to telecoms services in the hinterlands of the country, and by so doing address the challenges of access confronting the unserved and underserved areas of the country.
Danbatta also placed on record Commission’s desire for inclusiveness as seminal to erecting sustainable telecom architecture. This, according to him is critical in ensuring the achievement of Federal Government’s target on digital access and financial inclusion.

One visible area of beneficial financial service riding on telecom infrastructure is the provision of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) for financial transactions across various financial institutions’ platforms. This feat, Danbatta asserted, has brought ease to financial transactions, even as he recalled that NCC is providing support for e-payment initiatives and policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), including the e-Naira project, which is the digital currency issued and regulated by the apex bank.

“So, the Commission is committed to ensuring inclusiveness by ensuring the provision of affordable and pervasive accessibility to the Internet as emphasised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations (UN). We are aware that until commensurate infrastructure is deployed in the country, the country may not hit the required target necessary for the desired economic development,” the EVC added.

Additionally, Danbatta stated that the Commission has recorded remarkable progression with respect to contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is besides facilitating investment, enhancing Quality of Service (QoS) to enhance consumer quality of experience and stakeholder satisfaction in line with the expectations of the Strategic Management Plan 2020-2024. He assured that Commission will heightened efforts in all areas of the Plan as streamlined in new Strategic Vision Implementation Plan (SVIP) 2021-2025, including facilitating strategic collaboration and partnering through which it has forged quantifiable strategic alliances with its ever-expanding array of stakeholders.

Concerning NCC’s pioneering strides in the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) network in Sub-Saharan Africa, Danbatta explained that the rollout of 5G network in Nigeria will require more infrastructure for the service to reach all parts of the country. He called for concerted efforts and unwavering commitment of all stakeholders for the nation to achieve steady, timely and accurate deployment of 5G services because of its benefits to individuals, businesses and the growth of the country.

FG TO SANCTION IOC’S THAT FAIL IN ITS STATUTORY OBLIGATION TO THE HOST COMMUNITIES

FG TO SANCTION IOC’S THAT FAIL IN ITS STATUTORY OBLIGATION TO THE HOST COMMUNITIES

The Honourable Minister, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has hinted moves by the Federal Government to give legal teeth to deal with any of the International Oil Companies (IOC’s) that fail in its statutory obligation to oil producing communities.

The Minister made this observation during an interactive session with members of “Course 15 Executive Intelligence Participants of the National Institute for Security Studies” (NISS), at the Minister’s office recently in Abuja.

“A law that will compel IOC’s engaged in oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger Delta region has already passed Second Reading in the House of Representatives. It is expected that when the bill is passed into law, there would be sanctions and punishment for any defaulter”, he said.

Sen. Akpabio who noted that environmental pollution resulting from the activities of oil and gas exploration in the region is real, commended the institute and participants for opting for this year’s theme, “Global Climate Challenge Practice & Prospects for Economic Development and Conflict Resolution in Africa”. He explained that such study would help participants to identify practices responsible for the situations and proffer solutions that would promote peaceful co-existence.
According to the former Governor, the theme is a clear example of the emerging situations not just in the Niger Delta area but also in the Lake Chad region bordering Nigeria, Cameroun and Niger Republic that has been experiencing serious climate change recently.

Speaking further, the Minister said that the drying up of Lake Chad from its initial 25,000-sqkm water logged area to just 6,000-sqkm has lead to the disruption of the economy and social life of the people around the area, therefore encouraging Migration of farmers and herders across the length and breath of Africa and giving rise to conflicts among different groups.

The former Senate Minority Leader explained that the Ministry, which was established in 2009, has the mandate of coordinating the activities of interventionist agencies in the aspect of development and also ensure that total peace is achieved in the region. The Ministry does this by organizing workshops, seminars, engaging different stakeholders to douse envisaged tension in troubled areas, it also encourages International Oils Companies (IOC’s) to adopt international best practices in their exploration activities.

Earlier, Deputy Commandant and Director Studies, National Institute for Security Studies, Mr. Didacus Egor Egbeji, commended the Minister for sustaining peace and stability in the versatile region with infrastructural development cutting across the nine States of the Niger Delta region.

The Deputy Commandant, states that this year’s course in the institute with the theme “Global Climate Challenge Practice & Prospects for Economic Development and Conflict Resolution in Africa” tallies with the Ministry’s mandate and is paramount to the Niger Delta region.

Egbeji, further maintained, that the visit among other reasons was to hear from the Minister, what the Government and Ministry are doing to curb issues emanating from oil pollution in the region. According to him, “when we talk of Global Climate Change, we mean what affects the ozone layer, concerning oil exploration and the degradation of the environment by the activities of multinational companies operating in the region”.


Deworitshe Patrici

NIGERIA LAUNCHES N62 BILLION HIV TRUST FUND AS NIGERIA TARGETS ELIMINATION OF MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION BY 2030

NIGERIA LAUNCHES N62 BILLION HIV TRUST FUND AS NIGERIA TARGETS ELIMINATION OF MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION BY 2030

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja launched a N62 billion trust fund to help Nigeria end AIDS as a public health threat and place more people living with HIV on treatment annually.

Speaking at the launch of the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria (HTFN), the President pledged that his administration would continue to prioritize health interventions to address killer diseases and public health emergencies.

”At the last United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, I made a call for a renewed global action to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.
”Ending AIDS as a public health threat in Nigeria will require increased domestic funding. We have continued to make good our commitment of placing more people living with HIV on treatment annually using national resources.

”However, strong domestic resource mobilization with an enduring partnership and shared responsibility is required to sustain the response to HIV and other emerging public health emergencies,” he said.

President Buhari noted that Nigeria’s purposeful partnership with the private sector in the response to COVID 19 pandemic had provided a readily available financing solution to leverage on to sustain the HIV response.

He commended the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS for their efforts in establishing the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria to secure a generation of babies free of HIV.

He also expressed delight with the attendance in person of notable global key players in HIV response and from the private sector at the event and the pledges made.
”Going forward, I hope The HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria will galvanize more of the private sector and other partners to surpass the target of Sixty-Two Billion Naira in the next five years,” he added.

In his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha announced that since 2005 about 6.2 billion dollars has been spent on HIV response in Nigeria.

”About 80 per cent of the funds were contributed by external donors, mainly the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Private Sector contributed 0.1 per cent to 2 per cent of total funds with the rest of funds provided by the Nigerian government.”
Acknowledging NACA’s efforts to promote resource mobilisation to complement existing external support, Mustapha said the Federal Government has sustained the treatment and financing of 50,000 PLHIV annually.

He said the launch of the HTFN will guarantee funding from the private sector-led resources for HIV interventions especially for the elimination of the Mother-to-Child transmission of the virus.

”Since 2005, about 6.2 billion dollars has been spent on HIV response in Nigeria about 80 per cent of the funds were contributed by external donors mainly the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Private Sector contributed 0.1 per cent to 2 per cent of total funds with the rest of funds provided by the Nigerian government.”
Chief Launcher and Chairman and CEO of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote said the mission of the private sector led fund proposed by NACA alongside the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA) is to ensure mobilisation of resources towards eradication of AIDS in Nigeria, starting with the Prevention of Mother-to-Child transmission of the virus.

”I am reminded that we have 2 million of our compatriots living with HIV/AIDS and it is our collective responsibility to bring this number down to zero,” he said.

Dangote, who is Africa’s richest man, appealed to individuals and corporate organisations in the country to donate generously toward the Fund, currently chaired by Dr Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc.
”We would like the private sector to work in partnership with the Federal Government on a 50-50 basis which we believe will help us eliminate Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director-General of NACA. Dr Gambo Aliyu thanked the President for his commitment and support for the HIV response in the country, noting that as a direct result of his intervention, NACA now procures HIV commodities at manufacturers’ rate, as a result of which more Nigerians living with HIV have been placed on treatment from domestic resources.

He said within the last 3 years, the agency has identified and placed on treatment an additional 900,000 persons living with HIV, bringing the total number of Nigerians on HIV treatment to 1.7 million.

”This unprecedented feat puts Nigeria on a fast-track lane to control HIV spread by 2023.

”However, despite these achievements, our national coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission is less than 50%, leading to about 22,000 cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV every year in the country,” he said.

Justifying the need for the Fund, the Director-General said providing life-long treatment to all PLHIV even after successfully stopping new HIV infections would require a domestically sustainable financing mechanism.

PRESIDENT BUHARI PROMISES TO HONOUR AGREEMENTS WITH ASUU

PRESIDENT BUHARI PROMISES TO HONOUR AGREEMENTS WITH ASUU

President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal Government remains committed to honouring promises made to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to prevent disruptive strikes, engender uninterrupted academic programmes and improve funding of education institutions.

The President made the pledge on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) led by the Co-Chairs, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev’d Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle.

Commending the leadership of NIREC for intervening in the year-long strike by ASUU and holding consultations with the parties, the President said no society which wishes itself well neglects its educational system and all its component parts.
President Buhari urged NIREC that in its subsequent consultations with members of ASUU, it is important that they share with them that Government regards them and the service they provide to the nation very highly.

”However, they should be cognizant of the fiscal pressures that we are currently facing. Nevertheless, we remain committed to honoring our promises.

”For their part, I would like to encourage ASUU to continue to work with us towards finding resolutions to the challenges that confront us.

”My administration is committed to this engagement and dialogue, and I urge them to stay the course towards a joint resolution in the best interest of our children and nation,” he said.

Responding to issues raised by the leadership of NIREC on finding sustainable solutions to the perennial and disruptive strikes that threaten the sanctity and integrity of the nation’s university system, the President said he had directed his Chief of Staff, the Honourable Ministers of Labour and Employment and Education to make resolving this issue a priority.

The President said he had received briefing from the Minister of Labour, detailing where we are today given the various interested parties, and he apprised the meeting as follows:

”To show our commitment, several payments have been made over the last 6 months, addressing several of the issues you raised – details of which the Minister of Labour and Employment can make available to you.

”Funding has also been provided for infrastructure development across several public universities and several of them have begun drawing down on this facility to improve their level of infrastructure

”Finally, and perhaps the most contentious of issues regarding the decision to use either the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) or the University Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS).

”As you may be aware, IPPIS was introduced as a means of blocking leakages. Through IPPIS, the Federal Government was able to save over N100 billion annually from the core civil service alone. In view of the resistance from ASUU we devised UTAS which is now on the table.

”I have also been informed that the System Assessment Report conducted by NITDA has been shared by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to all stakeholders including ASUU, and they are to make the appropriate modifications and report their recommendations.”

CAN President, while speaking on behalf of the Council, said the meeting with the President was on the single point of averting strikes in the universities and the challenges of ASUU, which they consider to be of national interest.

Dr Ayokunle told the President that from NIREC’s meeting with ASUU on January 10, 2022, the university lecturers outlined that the bone of contention between the Union and Federal Government centred on eight issues including inconclusive renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, UTAS, IPPIS and distortion in salary payment challenges.

According to him, other contentious issues are visitation panels to Federal Universities report issues, funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowance, state universities and promotion arrears.

The NIREC leadership, while acknowledging that some of the issues have been addressed by the Government, appealed to President Buhari to direct the immediate return to the table to conclude the re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement.


”If the renegotiation process continues to conclusion, issues that the Government is not comfortable with can be re-negotiated with a view to reaching only implementable agreements. We believe that with renegotiation in place, other issues will be adequately addressed along the line,” the NIREC Co-Chair said.

IN COMING MONTHS, YOU WILL WITNESS MASSIVE SHIFT FROM INSURGENCY TO PEACE, STABILITY, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS NIGERIANS IN THE NORTH EAST

IN COMING MONTHS, YOU WILL WITNESS MASSIVE SHIFT FROM INSURGENCY TO PEACE, STABILITY, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS NIGERIANS IN THE NORTH EAST

Nigerians in the North East will, in the coming months, witness a change from the protracted insurgency to peace and development in their respective communities, President Muhammadu Buhari pledged on Wednesday in Abuja.

The President spoke at the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Return and Resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East of Nigeria, which preceded the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

He announced that his administration is embarking on a revised approach to addressing the 13-year conflict and insurgency in the region and will not relent in efforts towards a return to peace and normalcy.

”At the advent of this administration in 2015, I pledged to Nigerians that I will restore peace in the North East and return it to the path of development and growth. I remain committed to this promise.

”To the people of the North-East, particularly the children and future of the North-East, we will never forget you and your courage, sacrifice and endurance has been exemplary.

”I pledge to you that in the coming months you will begin to witness a shift away from a protracted insurgency to peace building, stabilization, and ultimately development in your respective communities as we embark on a revised approach to addressing this conflict- A Return to Normalcy,” he said.

On the terms of Reference for the Committee, the President emphasized that it entails a shift from managing the situation to activating a permanent solution for effective and practicable restoration.

He said the Committee, among others, is expected to develop a concise three-year action plan by the end of March 2022 that incorporates national and state level plans, providing a clear pathway for the restoration of peace and development in the North East.

The Committee, he said, will also develop and implement a phased plan for the repatriation, returns, resettlement of IDPs and restoration of livelihoods, incorporating global best practices that give dignity to the affected populations.
According to the President, they will also be responsible for the development and implementation of a coordinated peace building and reconciliation programme that is culturally appropriate and community driven.

The Committee is also saddled with the responsibility of strengthening collaboration with key donors, development partners and private sector organisations that are critical to the mobilisation of resources and implementation of programmes.

President Buhari charged the Committee members to adopt the guiding principles of accountability, delineation of duty and community-driven methods to address issues.


”Members will dedicate more time to the conduct of field visits to regularly engage with state government, communities and key stakeholders.

”Due to prevailing fiscal constraints, Ministries, Departments and Agencies will utilise existing budgetary resources and repurpose funds to programmes approved under this initiative,” he said.

President Buhari directed the committee to submit monthly progress report whilst the first progress review meeting will be held in the first week of March 2022.


Underscoring the enormous task ahead of the Committee, the President said:
”History beckons and Nigeria calls on you to be the team that finally charts this new path to the restoration of sustainable progress in the North East and I strongly believe this could lead to the birthing of a template for addressing insurgency and instability in other parts of our country and across the world.

”Failure to deliver on this task you have been assigned is not an option.”
The President also used the occasion to commend Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, who was present at the inauguration with his Gombe counterpart, Inuwa Yahaya, for his unparalleled commitment to his people and exemplary leadership.

The President also expressed appreciation to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) for support in the area of coordination of humanitarian actors and UNDP regional stabilisation facility, which is providing support in the area of security and the rule of law.

The members of the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Return and Resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East are:
The Ministers of Finance, Budget & National Planning; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management & Social Development; Interior; Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Others are the National Security Adviser, Inspector- General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff, Director General, State Security, Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Director-General, North-East Development Commission, Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants & Internally Displaced Persons, Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency and Chief of Defence Intelligence.

NITDA ENGAGES STAKEHOLDERS AT THE GRASSROOT

NITDA ENGAGES STAKEHOLDERS AT THE GRASSROOT

The National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) in its aspiration to be closer to its stakeholders, today, organized a one-day Stakeholders Engagement Program to cascade its programs, projects, and policies to the grassroots people.

Speaking virtually during the first edition of the program, the NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, who was represented by the Director, Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions, Dr. Usman Abdullahi, disclosed that the Agency holds its stakeholders in high esteem and would ensure they derive value from all NITDA’s interventions.

The program, which would hold in eight different states across the country commences with the Gombe State’ edition today, January 25, 2022, at the Banquet Hall, Gombe International Hotel, Gombe, Gombe State with the theme ” Creating Opportunities, Breaking Boundaries: Towards Digitalisation and Entrepreneurial Evolution.”

The other States where the program would be taken place includes; Bauchi, Kano. Kaduna Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and Bayelsa.

According to the NITDA boss, “Stakeholders’ Engagement Program is aimed at delivering values to our stakeholders and this is in tandem with our core values of people first, innovative and professionalism.”

He added that part of why the Agency is organizing the event is its strive to deliver value to its stakeholders. “That would not be possible without listening to you and speaking with you to get clarity on your perspective, aspirations, and needs,” he disclosed.

Inuwa noted that the meeting would serve as a veritable platform to pool knowledge, experiences, and expertise and to create solutions, articulate strategies, and extend the Agency’s services to all its stakeholders.

He emphasized that the engagement would constantly rethink its ideas, system, and processes. He maintained that the objectives of the program are; to offer stakeholders the opportunity to express their views and opinions on matters related to the Agency’s implementation of its mandate, establish a sustainable collaboration and consistent channel for feedback and exchange of ideas, and also share with the stakeholders the Agency’s vision, the regulatory instrument for national development and the Agency’s journey so far.

He assured the participants that the Agency is not oblivious of the fact that more still needs to be done and pledged the commitment of the Agency to make further progress with the stakeholders in the coming years.

The Gombe State Commissioner of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Aisha Umar Maigari in her goodwill remarks commended NITDA for the roles it is playing in ensuring that policies are also domesticated in states which she described as a better way to ensure uniformity in developing the ICT sector in the country. She stated that the Stakeholders’ Engagement Program is coming at the right time when the state needs more collaboration from NITDA.

She said NITDA has helped them develop a very ambitious state ICT policy and the state has since commenced implementation of some of the initiatives in the document after it has carried out need assessment analysis.

She said the present administration has ensured that civil servants in the state are using dot ng for government businesses adding that the state is building the capacity of the staff also in the area of basic computer operation for its staff and promoting digital literacy in the state especially among the underserved and unserved indigene of the state. She added that COVID-19 has also made them train over 60 persons in the area of digital and online marketing.

She added that most of the government processes have been digitized especially in the area of internally generated revenue to the government.

Participants at the event shared their observations on how they think NITDA could deepen its influence among the stakeholders, especially the rural populace.

UMallam Zakari Suleiman of the Computer Professional Council of Nigeria, CPN, was of the view that NITDA should constitute a monitoring team that would be inspecting all its interventions with a view of ascertaining there proper usage. He said the Agency should ensure that the end-users are trained on how to properly take care of those interventions.

DIGITAL INNOVATION: NITDA BEGINS HACKATHON FOR STUDENTS, ENTREPREUNERS IN ADAMAWA

DIGITAL INNOVATION: NITDA BEGINS HACKATHON FOR STUDENTS, ENTREPREUNERS IN ADAMAWA

In its bid in providing platform for young Nigerian tech students to showcase their talents, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the supervision of Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has commenced this year’s Hackathon where participants would come together and share ideas on ways to confront the country’s challenges using digital innovation.


The programme which is being coordinated by the Agency’s subsidiary, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and to be hosted in Cross River (South-South), Oyo (South West) and Adamawa (North-East), kicked off in Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, with students, entrepreneurs and innovators from different field with the purpose of harnessing the potentials of Nigerian youths in their quest to become problem solvers through digital innovation.

NITDA Hackathon is a National event in collaboration with academic institutions to drive digital innovation and entrepreneurship by challenging Nigeria’s teeming youths to ideate and develop solutions from inception through to the market.
The programme is set to develop and grow a global network of IT experts, comprising Nigerian youths within the country and in the diaspora.
It is targeted at inculcating entrepreneurship spirit in academia, creating a platform where industry and public institutions will leverage the academic research ecosystem to solve national challenges using technology.

The focus of this year’s programme is on Agriculture, Security and Logistics – considering the country’s current security challenges, the Agency gave security top priority; and Agriculture, as a result of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to ensure Nigeria become a food self-sufficient nation and fight against insecurity.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has equally urged the participants to show commitment and use their brain to come up with innovative ideas that will turn the security situation in the country around.

He said, “Technology is all about changing the way people do things, by coming up with ideas that will solve problems. This programme is aimed at giving Nigerian students, entrepreneurs and innovators the motivation to think, ideate and come up with digital innovation that will solve our problems locally.”

While commenting on the role NITDA’s subsidiaries are playing in supporting Nigerian startups, Inuwa said, “National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) is one of NITDA’s special purpose vehicles created to promote research and development on emerging technologies and their practical application in areas of Nigerian national interest. NCAIR is also focused on creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation-driven entrepreneurship (IDE), job creation, and national development.”

On his part, the NITDA team lead, Dr Salihu Abdulkarim, noted that the participants were divided into groups, and winners in each category will be awarded cash prizes. They will also have the opportunity to conceptualize their ideas for commercialisation to meet global standards with NITDA’s support.

Past Seven years: A Missed Opportunity to Stem Elite Superiority (Nkali)

Past Seven years: A Missed Opportunity to Stem Elite Superiority (Nkali)

Femi Otedola and Aliko Dangote went to a Drivers Licence Center (DLC) in Lagos to renew their licences a few days ago. I saw the pictures online and called Aliko to verify the story. He confirmed.

I was happy. The reason for my happiness is that this was my goal in revamping the drivers licence. It was not only to provide a secured and verifiable document, but I included the more significant social issue of equality of all Nigerians—the removal of Nkali (superiority) in our society. The need for physical presence for data capture was a significant issue for me in the brief I gave PwC the consultants to the project.

In the past, big men like Femi and Aliko would have sent their staff or driver to procure a licence for them from DLC at a cost. They would not have appeared in person for data capture or verification. Their presence at the DLC was a good signal and example. I am sure they rarely drive and would not have been stopped for licence check by law enforcement officers. The public show also helps in building a culture of respect for rules.

The first test of my resolve to get everybody to come physically for data capture was the launch of the new Drivers License by President Goodluck Jonathan. After agreeing with him to go for the launch, I told his staff that I needed his old licence and details for the new licence. His villa staff flatly rejected my request, insisting that the President cannot go to my office for a ‘mere’ licence when other bigger agencies come to the villa for data capture.

They said he could only come to launch the licence and leave; if I want to issue him a licence, I have to come to the villa for the capture and present it to him on the launch day. I quietly left. I was resolute that the data capture at the villa was not on the table, even if it meant the President might not come.

As a young under 40 then and oblivious of the word fear, I went back to the President with the offer that if he couldn’t come for data capture, it would send the wrong signals about the new system. However, I am willing to accept a representative in his stead, though that will reduce the prominence we wanted for the event.

President Jonathan overruled his staff and came to FRSC Hq for his licence. We paid (I collected the N6000 from him, he asked his staff to pay) the FCT VIO and followed through the whole process.

Ten years later, the system is still robust and working despite known challenges. Femi and Aliko collected temporary licences and will get the permanent cards in about six weeks, if everything works fine.

When rules are enforced, everybody obeys. My team at FRSC and I set out to use technology to limit officers’ discretionary powers to bypass the system and benefit from offering elite privileges. We succeeded.

The greatest tragedy of the Buhari administration is in the inability to equalise access for all Nigerians. No Nigerian Leader was equipped like President Buhari in 2015 to restore order in Nigeria. He had a solid support base, a party in control of both Houses, and an unparalleled moral authority to redefine Nigeria.

Sadly under his watch, recruitment to government agencies are done without a competitive process. The Bureau for Public Procurement (Due Process office) have become another bureaucracy and checkpoint dampening the visibility around public procurement that was becoming a culture. Nigeria’s elite still move around with Mobile Policemen and pay scant attention to rules neither on the roads or other areas of our national life.

A pervading culture of impunity has morphed into a macabre, violent show of superiority. President Buhari’s most significant legacy would have been restoring law and order in our country. The total demystification and destruction of elite privilege is critical because lawlessness and a sense that there is no consequence for bad behaviour is at the root of the violent rebellion and the widespread corruption in the land.

His pledge to fight corruption would have been impactful if he made it clear that elite privilege was not acceptable. His tenure is a great opportunity lost. He had all the ingredients for creating a new society: soldier, austere, angry, overthrown from office, suffered electoral defeats many times and old enough not to care.

A missed opportunity, yet we need to restore order in Nigeria. 2023 presents another opportunity.

Osita Chidoka
January 2022

FG Applauds NCC’s Commitment to Enhancing Digital Skill in Youths

FG Applauds NCC’s Commitment to Enhancing Digital Skill in Youths

…Existing policies are designed to accelerate the delivery of digital economy benefits – Pantami

…We’re poised to deepening digital access – Danbatta

The Federal Government has applauded the commitment and dedication of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) towards enhancing digital skills development among youths, through implementation of various Information and Communication Technology skill acquisition programmes.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, gave the commendation during the inauguration of a Digital Nigeria Centre (DNC), a project executed by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), an arm of NCC, at the Ijesa Muslim Grammar School, Ilesa, Osun State recently.

Representing President Muhamadu Buhari at the event, Aregbesola commended the NCC for timely and thorough implementation of the project, saying he was confident that the project will promote the connection of public secondary schools to broadband internet in Ilesa community and ultimately equip beneficiaries with 21st century skills.

“I would like to thank my very good friend and brother, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, for assenting to our request to have the first of this remodeled project in Osun State sited in Ilesa. I will also like to thank the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta and the entire Management and staff of NCC and the USPF, as well as their technical partners for a timely and successful completion of this laudable project,” he said.

On the sideline of the commissioning, Aregbesola also announced the establishment of President Muhammadu Buhari N100 million Technology Fund for Youth Empowerment, to nudge the emergence of world class technology experts. The Minister of Interior stated that the Fund targets 2,000 youths in the next two years, who will be provided with devices for training in different areas such as software development and design, amongst others.

The Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, who was represented by the State’s Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Babatunde Olawale, expressed the gratitude of the State Government to the Federal Government, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commission, for initiative and particularly for inaugurating the pioneer remodeled DNC project in Osun State. Oyetola also informed the enthusiastic gathering that Osun State Government was willing and ready to collaborate with NCC to replicate the project in other parts of the State.

Speaking in the same vein, Pantami, who was represented at the event by the Chairman, Board of Commissioners of NCC, Prof. Adeolu Akande, also commended the NCC and USPF on the delivery of the DNC project on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He declared that the project and similarly instituted ones were initiated by government to give expression to its vision to effectively digitise the nation’s economy for increased prosperity for all Nigerians.

Pantami stated that the Federal Government is focused on promoting digital economy across the country and that this had informed the renaming of the Ministry of Communications to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. On the heels of the re-christening, Pantami recalled that the Federal Government emplaced Digital Nigeria-oriented policies to reinforce the focus of existing policies in order to accelerate the delivery of derivable benefits of digital economy to Nigerians, regardless of their locations and circumstances.

Very central among the policies is the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, a 10-year, eight-pillar focused blueprint for actualising Federal Government’s digital economy agenda unveiled in November, 2019.

Pantami asserted that the DNC inaugurated at Ilesa was a concrete implementation of the Digital Literacy and Skills, the second pillar of NDEPS.

According to Pantami, the overarching objective of the DNC project is to facilitate adoption of digital lifestyle in the schools as well as in the school communities. The Minister averred that the project’s significance cannot be under-estimated, considering its ability to improve digital skill for the youths and subsequently make them globally competitive.

Pantami said the Nigerian government is determined to arm the youths with digital skills, strong literacy and numeracy skills, critical and innovative thinking skills, complex problem solving aptitude, the ability to collaborate, and deploy socio-emotional skills, which they require to transform their lives and build the economy.

“We have already made a number of giant strides in the development of our digital economy culture and the deployment of initiatives such as the Digital Nigeria Centre eloquently demonstrates the current administration’s commitment to connecting all Nigerians,” Pantami said as he equally expressed Federal Government’s commitment to its tripartite agenda of improving the economy, curbing corruption and enhancing national security through effective deployment of ICT in all nooks and crannies of the country.

In his remark, Danbatta, who was represented at the event by the Commission’s Director of Projects, Iyabode Solanke, said all the regulatory activities, initiatives and programmes that the Commission had undertaken since 2019, in collaboration with its critical stakeholders, including its arm, the USPF, have been targeted at giving concrete expression to Nigeria’s deliberate policy to migrate to a full digital economy.

He said the Commission achieves this by consistently committing itself to expansion of appropriate infrastructure to enhance digital literacy and skills in view of the economic and social impact of digitization on all sectors.

The NCC Chief Executive restated the Commission’s commitment to the overall objective of bridging the digital divide through the provision of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as broadband access to the unserved and underserved institutions and communities in the country.

Earlier, the Principal of Ijesa Muslim Grammar School, Ramota Ilesanmi, thanked the President Buhari-led Federal Government for the project, saying that it will go a long way in meeting the ICT needs of students and residents of the city.

The DNC, formerly known as School Knowledge Centre (SKC), is one of the projects in the Access Programme framework of the USPF, conceptualized to promote the availability and utilisation of ICT and resources of the Internet in teaching and learning in public schools in underserved, unserved and rural areas.

Specific objectives of DNC are to increase ICT literacy among school teachers and students; provide a platform for accessing online educational resources; equip students with ICT skills; facilitate ICT adoption in teaching and learning; as well as increase pass rate in Mathematics, English language and other science subjects.