The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing the telecommunications sector in Nigeria. Since the appointment of Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta as Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the commission in 2015, the Nigerian Communications sector has witnessed significant growth and development.

In this article, we will discuss the achievements of the Nigerian Communications Commission under the leadership of Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta.

One of the most significant achievements of the NCC under Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has been the increase in the number of active telephone lines in Nigeria.

Since taking office in 2015, the commission has overseen a rise in the number of active telephone lines in the country from 151 million to over 200 million.

This increase is a result of the commission’s efforts to promote competition and investment in the telecommunications sector, which has led to the expansion of network coverage and the availability of affordable mobile phones and data services.

Another significant achievement of the NCC under Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta is the increase in broadband penetration in Nigeria. When he took office in 2015, broadband penetration in Nigeria was just 10%.

However, through the commission’s efforts to promote the deployment of broadband infrastructure and the licensing of more broadband service providers, broadband penetration in Nigeria has now increased to 45.43%, as of December 2021.

This increase in broadband penetration has had a significant impact on the country’s economy, as it has led to the growth of digital services and the creation of new job opportunities.

The NCC under Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has also made significant progress in addressing the issue of unsolicited text messages and calls, which have been a major source of annoyance for Nigerian mobile phone users.

The commission has implemented a Do-Not-Disturb (DND) policy, which allows mobile phone users to opt-out of receiving unsolicited messages and calls.

Through the DND policy, the NCC has been able to reduce the number of unsolicited messages and calls received by mobile phone users in Nigeria.

In addition, the NCC under Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has made significant progress in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.

The commission has established a number of innovation hubs and incubation centers, which provide support and funding to tech startups and entrepreneurs in the telecommunications sector.

Through these initiatives, the NCC has been able to promote the growth of the Nigerian tech ecosystem, which has led to the development of new digital services and the creation of new job opportunities.

Another significant achievement of the NCC under Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta is the establishment of the Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) across the country.

The ECCs are designed to provide quick and efficient responses to emergency situations, such as accidents, fire outbreaks, and other disasters. Through the establishment of the ECCs, the NCC has been able to improve the country’s emergency response capabilities, which has helped to save lives and property.

The NCC under Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has also made significant progress in promoting digital inclusion in Nigeria.

The commission has implemented a number of initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas in Nigeria.

One of these initiatives is the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), which provides funding for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure in underserved and unserved areas of the country. Through the USPF, the NCC has been able to promote the availability of affordable and reliable telecommunications services in rural areas of Nigeria.

*Sani Wrote from Kaduna

The four members of staff, Mallam Aliyu Ibrahim, Deputy Director/Head, Administration Department; Okechukwu Christian Aninweke, an Assistant Director/Head, Risk Management; Patience Ante, Principal Manager, Lagos Zonal Office (LZO); and Daniel Agbi, Deputy Manager, also of the LZO, reached their mandatory retirement ages of 60 years and have embarked on their pre-retirement leaves, after their respective valedictory sessions that took place at the Commission.

Mr. Ibrahim, who spent 26 years of active service in the Commission, had at various times served in several departments, before being appointed Lagos Zonal Controller; Kano Zonal Controller; and Head, Consumer Protection and Advocacy before retiring as Head of Administration of the Commission, a position he held for more than four years.

The NCC boss said Aliyu’s various postings across departments, and his outline of contributions at his various posts were testaments to his hard work and dedication to duty. He specifically commended Aliyu’s administrative competence that enabled the Commission to start off NCC Digital Innovation Park project being constructed in Kano.

Aninweke, joined NCC in 2001, and is retiring as an Assistant Director and Head, Risk Management in the Corporate Planning Strategy and Risk Management Department, after 21 years of dedicated active service.

He was also President of NCC Staff Cooperative and Multipurpose Society for two tenures.

Mrs. Patience Ante, on her part, served the Commission for 18 years, having been enlisted in 2002 as Confidential Secretary at the Commission’s erstwhile Human Resources Department where she worked for seven years before her redeployment to Lagos Zonal Office.

In Lagos, she first worked in the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Unit where she served different sections of the Zonal Office operations.

Before her retirement, Ante, rose to the position of  a Principal Manager and served as Head, Licensing and Authorization Unit at the Lagos Zonal Office.

Agbi, popularly called ‘Apollo’ by the staff of the Commission, joined the Commission in 2005 as a protocol officer. His duties included working closely with high profile personalities in the Commission, including Board members, Ministers, and the Executive Management. His core responsibilities included liaising with the Nigerian Immigration Service. Agbi, also fondly called ‘Papa’ worked with uncommon zeal, passion and honourably. He is retiring from the Commission at the rank of Deputy Manager.

During their different valedictory sessions, the retirees appreciated the opportunity given to them to serve Nigeria officially in various capacities through the NCC.

They also profoundly commended the EVC, Prof. Danbatta, for his remarkable leadership qualities and finesse which have repositioned the Commission as a flagship Nigerian public sector institution.

Danbatta made the call to the staff not to rest on their oars, recently at Ibadan when he visited the IBZO of the Commission en route Osogbo to deliver the 10th and 11th Convocation Lecture of the Fountain University.

The EVC, management and other staff in his entourage, according to a statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, director, Public Affairs at NCC, were earlier received on arrival at Ibadan by the Controller, Ibadan Zonal Office of the Commission, Yomi Arowosafe, who led the EVC and his team on a tour of the Zonal Office.

Speaking later at an interactive session with staff of the Zonal Office, Danbatta commended the zonal controller and his team on the good work they have been doing in ensuring the people of the zone feel the presence and impact, as well as the significance of the Commission’s regulatory activities.

The EVC particularly urged the staff of the Commission not to relax because of the successes that have been recorded. Rather, he implored the staff to rededicate themselves decidedly, to their assigned responsibilities, in order to sustain effective delivery of regulatory services to the people of the zone in keeping with Commission’s commitment to ensuring greater regulatory effectiveness.

Danbatta asserted that his appeal takes life off the fact that the Commission and its staff have become major drivers of the Federal Government’s vision for the birth of a robust digital economy as encapsulated in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 and the Nigerian national Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025.

The NCC CEO reminded the staff of the necessity to internalise the regulatory imperatives of the Strategic Management Plan (SMP), 2021-2024, as well as the Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) 2021-2025, both of which are streamlined implementation roadmaps by which the Commission plans to actualise the national digital economy and broadband targets as articulated by the Federal Government.

In his response, Arowosafe who spoke on behalf of the staff of the Zonal Office, expressed gratitude to the Management for the visit and promised to ensure the zonal office sustains effective delivery of NCC’s regulatory services to the people of the geo-political zone.

Staff in the EVC’s entourage to the zonal office include NCC’s Director, Projects, Abigail Sholanke; Director, Digital Economy, Dr. Austin Nwaulune; Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde; Head Research and Development, Kelechi Nwankwo; and other senior management staff of the Commission.

The IBZO was established in October 2005 to bring the Commission’s regulatory services closer to the South West geopolitical zone, except Lagos and Ogun which are in the purview of Lagos ZonalOffice. However, the jurisdictional sphere of the Ibadan Zonal Office, however includes other South West states and Kwara State.

The recently constructed NCC Zonal Office building at Ibadan became fully functional in 2015 when the Commission’s Management directed staff to commence operational activities from the new complex.