The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it remains committed to its regulatory role of continually implementing requisite reforms to strengthen the nation’s communications sector and further boost its contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, made this remark while addressing stakeholders at the combined second and third quarters 2023 meeting of the Industry Working Groups (IWG) on multiple taxation and regulations in the telecoms sector.
The meeting, which held on Tuesday in Ibadan, Oyo State, was convened as a precursor to a more elaborate Regional Stakeholders Workshop on Multiple Taxation and Regulations, scheduled to take place in the State on Wednesday.
Addressing the meeting, attended by senior executives of telecom licensees and their umbrella body, the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), as staff of the Commission, Adewolu said the IWG’s activities were geared towards ensuring fair tax policies and eliminating every incident of multiple taxation and regulations impacting the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
He explained that a lot of achievements had been recorded by the industry since the establishment of the IWG over two decades ago, as the platform had proven to be effective in articulating industry concerns in this area and also proffering solutions to these issues.
The commissioner said: “Considerable industry gains have been recorded lately, particularly as it relates to the issue of multiple taxation. For instance, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently signed Four Executive Orders designed to curb multiple taxation in the Country.
“Key amongst them is the Executive Order for the suspension of the five per cent Excise Duty on telecommunication services as well as Excise Duties escalation on other locally manufactured products,” Adewolu added.
While describing the gains as laudable, he expressed optimism that would they continue to serve as inspiring landmarks for the industry, underscoring what can be achieved when the entire industry come together to speak with one voice on existential concerns undermining the economic situation of the communications industry.
Noting that a lot of work still has to be done as the industry is still contending with arbitrary Right of Way (RoW) charges, hidden nuisance taxes and unauthorised regulatory encroachment into the communications industry, Executive Commissioner said the Commission has continued to work assiduously to ensure harmonisation of RoW charges across the country.
He said apart from the various agencies the Commission had been working with, it is also collaborating with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), in line with the National Economic Council (NEC) resolution of 2012 and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to ensure the regulatory actions taken by the agencies are well synchronised with the regulatory objectives of the NCC.
Photo Caption
L-R: Lagos Zonal Controller, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Henry Ojiokpota; Assistant Director, Financial Services, NCC, Chika Anohu; Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, Adeleke Adewolu; Head, Compliance Monitoring, NCC, Isa Olatinwo; Executive Secretary, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Gbolahan Awonuga and Ibadan Zonal Controller, NCC, Dr. Olubunmi Bamijoko, during NCC’s quarterly meeting of Telecom Industry Working Group on Multiple Taxation and Regulations on Tuesday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
