The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta this morning inaugurated members of the 2017 inter-agency committee for the evaluation of research proposals from the academia.
The scope of research topics to be assessed by the Committee embrace core telecommunications issues to oil pipeline protection and tracking. The EVC stated that the goal of the Commission is to be able to use this intervention to address industry problems as well as some other societal issues that need urgent attention.
Prof. Danbatta said in finding local solutions to the challenges that affect the telecommunications industry is a pre-eminent priority of the Commission and the focus on the academia is expected to be mutually beneficial.
To the academic community it is very valuable as it adds value to research output. The society also stands to benefit from the seminal output of the integration that evolve through NCC's decision to deliberately utilize the capacity resident in the academia to positively impact businesses, leading to the development of new products and services for the entire telecom industry.
The inaugural ceremony is part of the resolutions at the recently concluded Stakeholders Forum for the Academia where 61 Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities were in attendance.
In response to the Commission's call for research proposals from the Academia, the Commission already received 96 submissions. This is almost 100 percent increase on the 2016 record.
The 18-Man Committee is headed by Prof. Muazu Muhammad Bashir of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
Others include Prof. Babatunde Adegboye, Federal University of Technology, Minna; Prof. Cosmas Ani, University of Nigeria Nsukka; Mr. Val Amadi, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria; and Mrs. Iyabode Solanke, Director of Research and Development, NCC.