The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has pledged that transparency will form the bedrock of his leadership as Nigeria’s chief telecom regulator as this will enable a solid foundation in building a resilient, accountable and efficient institution.
Maida made the promise during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani in Abuja recently while briefing the minister on his activities, vision, and strategy since his assumption office in October 2023.
Maida said: “Transparency is key. It is by transparency that we can self-regulate even as regulators. And by so doing, we would be putting ourselves on our toes, which in the long run will drive the Commission forward to achieve our goals of operational excellence.”
He commended the minister for leading by example in transparency in his leadership style, stressing that one of the principles he has as a leader is transparency in all areas of the ministry’s activities and the potential to transform the industry.
The NCC boss conveyed his appreciation, through the Minister, to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding him worthy of the responsibility to lead a critical sector of the economy and described the visit as crucial, giving him the opportunity to share with the minister, his vision and priorities for the Commission.
Maida explained these priorities were in tandem with delivering on the 5-Pillars of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the Minister.
He elaborated: “I have been on this seat for about six weeks, and it has afforded me the privilege of a bird’s eye view to understand things better, and identify areas that we urgently need to work on. We are currently carrying out an in-depth study and critical review of issues within the industry. One of the areas we are placing priority on is Quality of Experience,” Maida told the Minister.
“At my meeting with industry leaders, we were unambiguous that quality of experience (QoE) will not be negotiable. The Commission will take compliance in this regard seriously, and a standard of what is least acceptable will be set”, the EVC added
Maida hinted that another priority area for him was broadband connectivity, which he considered as the biggest enabler of the digital economy and financial inclusion. He noted that these align with the 5-pillar agenda of the Ministry.
The NCC CEO also harped on the need to maximise the potentials of innovations in some technological evolutions such as the 5G revolution in order to create more opportunities within the industry and further boost connectivity.
He told the Minister that a review of internal processes at the Commission was ongoing to engender efficiency and responsiveness of the Commission, including the digitization of most of our operations.
The NCC boss expatiated: “Under my leadership, the Commission will give priorities to the improvement of our regulatory activities. With this, we hope to see more investors come into the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, with the attendant creation of vertical businesses and increased Foreign Direct Investments, revenue generation, and employment
The EVC also said that “In all these, the goal is for the Commission to achieve optimal operational excellence which underpins the success of all other priority areas that we have set in order to achieve a significant all-round growth of the telecommunications industry”, Maida added.
Maida recalled his visit to the Digital Bridge Institute in Lagos, where he met an institution with vast potentials that would be an asset in driving a knowledge-based economy, in line with the “Knowledge Pillar” of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the minister.
“Consequently, we will be prioritizing the revamp, retooling, and redirection of the Institute towards extracting its optimum value in line with our objectives,” the EVC said.
Tijani, who warmly welcomed the NCC boss, acknowledged the importance and relevance of the telecom regulator in achieving the nation’s digital aspiration.
He said: “The NCC is a stellar agency, and you have my respect for the work that you do. There is no future for the country without the NCC. Already, the quality you have is good; what we need to do now is to tap into this quality to bring about greater value for the country.
“I want to assure you that you have the best partner in me. We will work together to achieve the goals and vision we have set,” the Minister assured.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again assured members of the public that it is addressing the reported cases of cash scarcity in some major cities across the country. It attributed the current situation to the hoarding of the Naira by some persons due to challenges experienced during the Naira redesign project.
The bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali gave the assurance in a chat with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, disclosing that the CBN is monitoring the situation and has released sufficient cash to its branches across the country for onward distribution to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs).
Giving further clarification on the cases of hoarding, Sidi Ali explained that currency in circulation as of February 2023 was N1 trillion, while that figure had risen to over N3.4 Trillion as of December 11, 2023.
According to her, this indicates that there is sufficient cash in circulation, except that the cash is in the hands of individuals, who are apprehensive due to their previous experiences.
She empathized with Nigerians, over their previous and current experiences, but insisted that the CBN had adequate cash to meet the day-to-day transaction needs of Nigerians.
The Director appealed to Nigerians to be patient while the apex bank continued to do the needful to ensure the availability of cash, particularly during the yuletide and beyond.
While also urging Nigerians to continue to accept all Naira banknotes for their daily transactions, Sidi Ali reiterated the bank’s earlier call to the public to embrace alternative modes of payment, e-channels, to reduce pressure on the use of physical cash.
