The Board and Management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) commenced a strategic Management Retreat today to dilate on the activities of the year 2017 and to institute processes towards achieving greater successes in 2018.
Although the Commission holds the retreat annually every last quarter, the 2017 edition is coming on the heels of remarkable and measurable successes recorded in the last 12 months, indicating a resolve by the Commission not to rest on its oars.
Despite a palpable global climate of recession in which Nigeria had its fair share, the NCC has paid over N133 billion into the Federation account in the last two years, achieved 10 percent contribution to GDP and rake in a whooping cumulative FDI in the tune of $70 billion. Today, the telecom landscape, marked by over 150 million telephone line subscriptions, has produced a teledensity of over 100 percent - an exponential growth from 0.01 percent in 1999.
The Commission also interceded decisively to save one of the major operators from being liquidated through a historic stakeholder collaborative interaction with the apex bank to halt a reversal of gains in the telecom industry. Broadband penetration in the country is already above 21 percent, an encouraging feat of migration toward the 2018 target of 30 percent penetration set in the National Broadband Plan.
In the year under review, the Commission demonstrated the primacy of the consumer as the central stakeholder in the telecom ecosystem by declaring 2017 as the Year of the Nigerian Telecom Consumer. By this very action, NCC made an unequivocal statement, setting a benchmark for the role the public sector should play in the life of the citizenry. Never in the history of public sector administration in Nigeria had an agency of government demonstrated commitment to the implementation of 'social contract' in the true meaning of the word as conceptualized by Locke.
Still, just recently NCC reached an understanding with the Consumer Protection Council to heighten sentization of consumers to their rights and privileges through accurate, timely information and education that enhance their ability to take informed decisions on telecom services.
Also in the year, the Commission has had several collaborative handshakes with many stakeholders and thereby opened floodgates of engagement that will consolidate the contribution of telecom as the super-infrastructure to other infrastructure in the race toward economic growth and development. In this regard, there have been meetings with state governors involving negotiations that have produced concrete results including concessions to bolster the operations of telecom service providers in many States of the Federation. Earlier in the year there was a constructive engagement with Federal Inland Revenue Service to tighten any loose end in tax remission by players in the telecom sector.
Indeed, meetings have been held with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to heighten both the tempo and sophistication of critical telecom infrastructure protection. Not too long ago, a historic meeting took place between the Management of the Commission and the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration at the instance of the Management of NCC in order to ensure robust telecom services in Abuja that befit a capital territory.
To ensure that no one breaches telecom laws, regulations and guidelines with impunity, a series of special sensitization workshops designed for stakeholders in the security governance sector on telecommunication issues, was organised in the six zones of the country.
Just this week, Management of NCC has received delegations from three agencies that came to commend its efforts in fulfilment of its mandates, to seek support, and to explore collaboration. These visitations are coming barely a week after NCC led the Nigerian delegation to the 2017 ITU Telecom World which held at Busan, South Korea where the Commission as well as the SMEs it sponsored to the event received several categories of awards.
As the retreat progresses, participants will also take clear decisions that will make 2018 a more rewarding year for the telecom industry.
