The Citizens Watch Africa (CWA) has commended the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, on his efforts towards improving the nation’s telecommunications sector since his assumption of office.
The convener of the group, Dave Ogbole, during a media briefing on Tuesday, said Maida had introduced commendable reforms that have not only improved the confidence of stakeholders in the sector but also attracted more investments into the critical telecoms infrastructure.
The civil society activist further noted that there had been a renewed commitment towards promoting transparency and accountability in the operations of the NCC with the attendant positive implications for good governance in the commission.
He said: “This has consequently led to an improvement in the organization’s governance processes. The takeaway from this new drive is the disposition by the leadership of the NCC to ensure a level playing ground for all players in the sector,” he added.
“Citizens Watch Africa states that the new drive at the NCC has indeed re-positioned the agency for improved productivity. This has been evident in the various stakeholder engagement initiatives where feedback is gathered and examined to improve the sector.
“We are using this medium to commend the leadership of the NCC. It is highly dedicated and committed to delivering on its key mandate. The new drive at the NCC has led to a steady increase in active voice and internet subscriptions, including a drop in teledensity.
“It is instructive to state that the nation’s teledensity dropped from 115.63% to 102.30% in September. Broadband penetration dropped from 45.47% to 40.85% in the same month. The active voice subscription statistics witnessed a marginal growth from 220,715,961 to 221,769,883 as of September 2023. In addition, Internet subscriptions also enjoyed a marginal increase, from 159,034,717 in August 2023 to 160,171,125 in September 2023.
“These are indicators of the renewed commitment by the NCC leadership to revamp the sector. Citizens Watch Africa salutes the dexterity and passion of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida. He hit the ground running with laudable policies to re-position the telecoms industry for optimal productivity”, Ogbole added.
He urged the EVC to continue providing excellent leadership at the commission as a desirable step towards sustainable growth of the ICT industry and its improved contribution to the nation’s GDP.
