NCC bags more awards for regulatory effectiveness, digital revolution in Nigeria

*The Nigerian Communications Commission commends the stakeholders and assures Nigerians the array of wards and recognitions for the Commission will further encourage the NCC Management team to do more in expanding the frontiers of opportunities of digital economy for citizens and investors to enhance their contributions to national development

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

At 20 years of digital revolution, the trove of garlands for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for its regulatory role in enhancing digital transformation in the country has continued to surge with fresh awards conferred on the Commission by an array of stakeholders.

ConsumerConnect reports it is two decades since the NCC midwifed the birth of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) to herald a new era of public communication in Nigeria.

Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of NCC, receives leadership award 

The foremost telecoms sector regulator in the West African country noted the new awards were conferred on the Commission and its Management at different fora organised to commemorate 20 years of revolutionary digital communication.

RELATED: NCC Reviews Telecoms Regulatory Instruments, Management Tools For Improved Efficiency: Official

Aside from the serial honour attending the celebrations of two decades of the GSM revolution, the Commission disclosed it also won medals at annual events organised by strategic stakeholders, including the Nigerian telecom sector’s equivalent of Oscars, the Nigeria Tech Innovations & Telecoms Awards (NTITA) 2021, the event which took place November 19, 2021, in Lagos.

Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs at NCC, stated Tuesday, November 23, that at this year’s NTITA, the NCC received the ‘Outstanding Telecom Regulator of the Year’ Award, while Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Offucer (EVC/CEO) of the Commission, was honoured with the ‘Telecoms Industry Leader’ Award.

Adinde further stated that a week earlier, at another event organised by the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), in collaboration with Digivation Network, the Commission  as well received, ‘The Premier African Regulator’ Award.

Danbatta receives Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Award

The Commission also said the EVC/CEO was also honoured with the ‘Regulatory Excellence Award’, while Barrister Adeleke Adewolu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at NCC, received ‘The Outstanding Digital Impact Personality’ Award.

READ ALSO: Minister Commends NCC, NITDA On Digital Transformation Projects In Nigeria

The NCC Director of Public Affairs said the event, tagged 20 Years of Digital Revolution Powered by GSM, took place at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre, November 11, 2021, in Abuja.

The same day, at yet another event organised by E-Business Life Magazine at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, to mark the 20 years of the birth of GSM in Nigeria, the NCC also received, ‘Technology Transformer Award’.

Besides, at the last weekend, the Commission, received the ‘Regulator of the Year’ Award at the New Telegraph Awards 2021, organised at the Federal Palace Hotel, November 19, 2021, in Lagos.

Reminiscing about 20 years of exponential transformation in telecoms sector

At the event organised at NAF Conference Centre, in Abuja, Dr. Adinde stated that a panel representing shades of stakeholders in the country’s telecoms and ICT sector, took a retrospective reflection on the last 20 years of telecoms liberalisation under NCC’s supervision.

He noted that the panelists agreed that there has been irreversible, exponential transformation of the telecommunications sector with visible impact on all other sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs (2nd from right), receives NCC Award on behalf of the EVC/CEO, in Abuja

The panelists, he said, also reminisced about developments in the sector in an inquisitorial manner, asking the audience to measure the dynamism in the telecoms sector in terms of digital sophistication and digital literacy in comparison to what it was two decades ago.

The speakers, one after another, examined in objective contexts, how telecoms service availability, affordability and accessibility have benefited persons of all social strata, especially the disadvantaged segment of the society, the NCC noted.

READ ALSO: Sierra Leonean Telecoms Regulator At NCC For Benchmarking On Policies, QoS, Others

The panel also took a stock of the general impact of the digital culture from a historical perspective in order to properly capture the milestones.

He stated: “As Nigeria prepares for the launch of the Fifth Generation (5G) networks, the panelists agreed that there will be more benefits to harvest from the emerging technologies.

“Thus, they urged all stakeholders to heighten education of citizens and especially telecom consumers, in order to halt the misinformation about 5G.

“The discussants also expressed confidence in the ability of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the NCC to rally stakeholders to deepen engagement at all levels and sectors to focus on the implementation of policies to ensure attainment of the set targets.

RELATED CyberEspionage: NCC Alerts Nigerians To Hackers’ Targeting Telcos, ISPs, Others

Meanwhile, Dr. Adinde has commended stakeholders, who gathered at various events where the Commission and its leaders were honoured for their dedicated solidarity.

The Director of Public Affairs also thanked the various stakeholders who recognised the Commission with landmark awards for the impeccable honours.

According to him, such a considerable number of awards to NCC in a fortnight testified to the strong collaboration between the Commission, the stakeholders, and their conviction that NCC is fulfilling its mandate in Nigeria.

Adinde particularly told the audience at the E-Business Life forum, that the recognitions coming to NCC would further encourage the NCC Management, led by Prof. Danbatta and his dynamic team, to do more in expanding the frontiers of opportunities of digital economy to enable citizens and other investors to enhance their contributions to Nigeria’s growth and development.

Kindly Share This Story