Opinion
NCC: Digitally boosting President Buhari’s Next Level Agenda
Henry Nkemadu
On June 12, Nigeria will be celebrating “Democracy Day” and 21 years of uninterrupted democratic rule.
And the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) riding on its mandate to connect Nigeria and create an information rich society remains on the driver’s seat.
Provision of the necessary digital impetus to the actualization of the economic diversification of Mr. President, tailored towards a free market economy which is not tied to oil and gas is on NCC’s priority list.
This push is in tandem with the administration’s “Next Level Agenda” as it enters its fifth year in this long democratic race.
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During President Buhari’s first term, the NCC positioned telecoms as the baseline enabler for the realization of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020 of the government, which is a short-term economic blue print designed to drive the economic diversification agenda of the government.
Through deliberate and sustained efforts in driving major initiatives, programmes and necessary regulatory interventions, the NCC has been able to deepen access to telecommunications services- voice and data – across the country which has helped in positively impacting other sectors of the economy such as healthcare, education, agriculture, finance, transportation, commerce, governance, and so on.
NCC: A believer in Buhari’s economic agenda
The Executive Vice-chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, is consistently supporting the economic agenda of President Buhari through the provision of more digital access to individuals, corporate and government for the implementation of the agenda has been validated by available official data.
The Telecoms sector has witnessed huge growth in terms of the subscribers’ base, earnings to the government, increase in gross domestic product (GDP), teledensity and increase in foreign direct investments into the sector.
Today, the sector has contributed 14.07% to GDP.
Active mobile voice subscribers have increased to over 189 million with a teledensity of 99.16%.
Internet subscribers have increased from 128,365,704 to 136,203,231; broadband penetration increased from 38.49 % (indicating 73,466,093 on 3G and 4G networks) to 39.90 % (76,163,670 on 3G and 4G networks).
The Commission has committed millions of Naira to driving ICT innovations in the academia and among technology innovators.
We have also activated and increased the number of operational Emergency Commission Centres (ECCs) being built by the Commission to 17 states throughout the Federation and the Federal Capital (FCT), Abuja – 18 ECCs in all.
We have successfully scrubbed over 24 million invalidly-registered subscriber records via Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) in fulfillment of the mandate to establish a credible database of telephone subscribers.
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As a Commission, we have recently taken measures to regularize activities of all satellite operators including Space Station Operators as well as Earth Station operators; issuance of landing permits to Space Stations beaming signals over Nigerian territory.
In line with our regulatory excellence, we have now put the Communications and Digital Economy Complex, Jabi, Abuja to use. This move has helped to leverage the various world-class facilities within the complex to increase NCC’s overall operational efficiency and subsequently achieve better cost-cutting measures in line with the Federal Government’s directive.
Also, because of its huge impact on the nation’s GDP, developing broadband infrastructure to deepen penetration among individual and corporate consumers of telecoms services has been the focus of the Commission.
Based on the understanding by the Commission that telecommunications breaks barrier and can act in its own right as an enabler of socio-economic transformation, growth and modernization across all sectors of the economy, the NCC Management has deliberately embarked on initiatives, serving as digital fulcrum and catalyst that propel the inter-sectoral implementation of the socio-economic transformation agenda of the current government.
One of such initiatives is the licensing of infrastructure companies (InfraCos) to provide additional robust broadband infrastructure across the geo-political zones in the country.
Six of the InfraCo licenses have been issued to five geo-political zones and Lagos carved out as the sixth zone because of its commercial centrality, while the last and seventh license for the North Central region is being worked on by the Commission.
This is in addition to several other strategic initiatives being embarked upon by the NCC to address sundry challenges confronting telecoms infrastructure deployment by the existing licensees.
Digital impetus for Next Level Agenda
To sustain its forward-looking economic growth agenda, President Muhammadu Buhari, has restated commitment to the cause of advancing and consolidating on the gains of his first-term economic transformation agenda.
To this end, the President has tagged economic blueprint for his second term as the Next Level agenda.
A cursory look at the Next Level agenda shows that the President, in the current dispensation, aims to focus on improving security, improving the economy and reducing poverty; as well as fighting corruption and corrupt practices.
Speaking on the Next Level agenda recently, the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, said he would ensure that all agencies under his ministry including the NCC key into supporting the President in achieving his new agenda.
Nigeria recently launched a New National Broadband Plan (2020-2025) aimed to “deliver data download speeds across Nigeria at a minimum speed of 25Mbps in urban areas, and 10Mbps in rural areas, with effective coverage available to at least 90% of the population by 2025 at a price not more than N390 per 1GB of data (2% of median income or 1% of minimum wage)”.
During the presentation by the Committee on the NNBP (2020-2025), the Minister, Pantami, said: “The NNBP addresses 3 of the 8 priorities that the Federal Government assigned to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and the parastatals under its purview, for implementation.
“These priorities are the implementation of broadband connectivity and execution of a plan to deploy 4G across the country, as well as the development and implementation of a digital economy policy and strategy”.
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The Minister continues, “The development of a Broadband Plan aligns with global best practice and the constitution of the Committee is in line with the powers of the Minister as stated in Section 23(a) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003- the Minister shall be responsible for ‘the formulation, determination and monitoring of the general policy for the communications sector in Nigeria with a view to ensuring, amongst others, the utilization of the sector as a platform for the economic and social development of Nigeria”.
“…Broadband supports the development of the digital economy and a focus on growing the National Digital Economy will also improve and diversify the nation’s traditional economy.
“The implementation of the Plan will lead to creation of jobs, improved socio-economic development and sustained economic growth, amongst others.
“However, it is important to note that the successful implementation of the Plan requires synergy between government and the private sector”.
According to him, “telecoms has been supporting the country in the areas of job creation, improvement in security and efficiency as well as in making life easier and better for Nigerians, charging the NCC leadership “to continue in this direction and as any individual agenda will are bringing onboard must have direct bearing toward supporting the promises of President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed in his promise to Nigerians.”
Thus, the Minister has thrown his weight behind the NCC’s InfraCo project in what he described as the correlation it has to propel the attainment of the Next Level agenda through accelerating increased digital access to Nigerians across the country.
In the Next Level agenda, emphasis is placed on infrastructure with the critical ones being roads, rail, power, and the Internet, marked to be treated as ‘critical infrastructure’ and according to the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC)/Chief Executive, NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, globally telecommunications has become an essential factor for measuring the level of a nation’s socio-economic and political development.
He noted that countries with well-developed telecoms infrastructure tend to outshine their counterparts without adequate telecoms infrastructure in all development parameters.
5G: Next digital revolution for Next Level agenda
Without any doubt, the liberalization of the telecoms industry has greatly impacted the different sectors of our economy.
From e-commerce, e-banking, e-agriculture, e-healthy, e-transportation, e-education, etc. the liberalization ushered in different players leveraging different technologies to offer services. The unprecedented growth recorded in the telecoms sector with a multiplier effect on other sectors of the economy has been as a result of the sound regulatory regime which has been consolidated in the last 19 years.
We have come up with a lot of frameworks, regulations, guidelines and policies that have provided and will continue to create the enabling environment for future of telecommunications growth in Nigeria.
The future is promising and as regulator, we see a lot of prospects ahead for the industry especially in the area of broadband penetration to accelerate the transformation of Nigeria into a truly knowledge and digital economy.
The future of telecommunications in Nigeria, just as it is the case globally, is broadband and the NCC is well positioned to drive this digital frontier.
In the last five years, we had put a lot of emphasis on deepening broadband penetration and we are creating an environment that allows operators to deploy the newest technologies that can offer Nigerians better service experience with greater efficiency. Consequently, it is our commitment to see that, going forward, all new sites to be built by mobile network operators (MNOs) are Long Term Evolution (LTE)-compatible; the implementation of the harmonized Right of Way (RoW) charges on State and Federal Government highways at the cost of N145 per linear meter is realized; there is elimination of multiple taxation and regulations; and spread of 3G coverage to, at least, 80 per cent of the Nigerian population over the current 56.4 per cent of the population covered with 3G networks.
We are also ensuring the upgrade of 2G base transceiver stations to 3G; spread of 4G/LTE services to 100 per cent of the population with a minimum broadband speed of 1.5 megabit per second (Mbps); deployment of, at least, an Access Point of fiber with a 10 gigabyte per second (Gbps) capacity in all the 774 local government areas (LGAs) of the Federation through the InfraCo project.
According to Danbatta, “with the impending commercial deployment of 5G technology globally by 2020, the Commission has started preparing for and planning, in earnest, to ensure Nigeria is not lagging behind in the area of 5G deployment”.
We want to ensure spread of Fifth Generation (5G) to, at least, five per cent of the population.
Already, the NCC in November, 2019 pioneered 5G trials in Nigeria, becoming the first telecoms regulator in West Africa to proactively begin such trials toward unleashing greater digital revolution.
We have also worked with stakeholders to develop guidelines on the use of Television White Space (TVWS) to extend affordable broadband penetration to underserved and unserved areas.
TVWS is the unused broadcast spectrum which can be deployed in the telecommunications sector to provide cost-effective broadband services to people in the rural, underserved and unserved areas of the country towards achieving universal access and universal service in line with the country’s digital agenda.
In summary, the future of telecommunications in Nigeria is incrementally bright as the Regulator is always proactive in providing the regulatory environment for the deployment of cutting-edge technologies to further push Nigeria ahead in the digital revolution.
The 5G era would be characterized by the upswing in the use of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Big data, Fifth Generation (5G), Augmented Reality and many more all of which will advance sustainable development through the digital transformation it will bring for the economies.
“With 5G, the NCC is looking at three (3) usage scenarios, which include: the enhanced mobile broadband applications, the ultra-reliable low latency applications and the Machine to Machine (M2M) applications.
“Hence, 5G will be characterized by high speed, M2M explosion and low latency, all of which will require reliable broadband infrastructure, which is one of the pre-occupations of the Commission as we speak,” the EVC said.
He has also noted that three frequencies: the 26GHz, 38GHz and 42 GHz are part of the frequencies approved by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for 5G.
This, he said, is in addition to the Commission’s ongoing effort to leverage television white (TVWS) technology to expand affordable broadband services to rural, unserved and underserved areas of the country.
The Commission has conducted 5G Proof of Concept (PoC) Trials. The EVC explained that the whole idea behind the trial is to be able to see what the challenges are with regards to 5G deployments in Nigeria.
“Security challenges, level of radiation power density, whether this is within the acceptable limits provided for the International non-ionization radio Radiation Protection Agency as well as to address whatever challenges that we need to come to terms with preparatory to commercial rollout of 5G services in Nigeria.”
Role of infrastructure and spectrum to 5G
Danbatta has drawn correlation between 5G networks and effective telecoms infrastructure.
Expectedly, 5G will offer higher Internet speed and low latency and machine to machine (M2M) exposition, all of which will run on robust broadband infrastructure, which the Commission is currently driving and will ultimately support the digitisation of the Nigerian economy towards accelerating the actualization of the President’s Next Level agenda.
He said: “Without pervasive infrastructure, the dream of rollout of 5G services will remain what it is, just a dream.
“As such, Nigeria has put in place the InfraCo project for this purpose.
“Also, we have put in place an excellent initiative of spectrum trading, to allow efficient utilization of licensed and existing spectrum through leasing or transfer to other operators from a licensee instead of keeping such spectrum idle.”
Recently, the Commission suspended the Spectrum Trading Guidelines (2018) in order to carry out a review in response to global telecommunications dynamics and for more robust Spectrum trading activities. Paragraph 12 of Spectrum Trading Guides 2018 vests the Commission with the right to review/vary and modify the Guidelines from time to time as it may deem fit.
Telecoms Investment drive: Boosting the Next Level Agenda
Telecom, as an enabler for other sectors of the economy, is highly capital-intensive.
As such, Danbatta said the support of the President is very key in support of the Commission’s efforts at addressing various challenges inhibiting investment into the country’s telecoms sector.
“Yes, we have recorded major milestones in our telecoms sector.
“But are we satisfied as a Regulator? The answer is ‘No’.
“This is because we still face inadequate infrastructure.” Consequently, the NCC had identified 220 clusters of access gaps in the country and the real challenge behind connecting this large population of about 40 million is infrastructure deficit.
This informs why the NCC evolved the InfraCo project with Public Private Partnership component embedded in it.
In a recent update study carried out in 2019, the number of people living in the unserved and underserved areas was estimated to have dropped to 31.16 million and number of clusters reviewed down to 114.
Meanwhile, the EVC has assured that the Commission is committed to providing the enabling environment to attract the needed investment to expand 5G deployment while ensuring efficiency of existing technologies from 2G, to 3G and 4G towards providing the needed consistent digital impetus to the realization of the Next Level Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dr. Henry NKEMADU is a Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
By Abdulaziz Abdulaziz
On Wednesday, October 2, the Daily Trust newspaper came out with the long overdue public apology to the Federal Government over its erroneous reporting of July 4, 2024, on the Samoa Agreement. It was a needful closure to a touchy controversy. It is a commendable gesture on part of the Media Trust management. It is not everyone that has the humility to admit wrongdoing. This has now settled the matter and brought to rubbles the scornful allegations contained in the story under reference.
The watery lead story of July 4, 2024 alleged that the Samoa Agreement, signed by the Federal Government (among other nations that constitute the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, also known as OACPS) with the European Union (EU) contained clauses that promote LGBTQ rights. To make it more salacious the story linked it to an imaginary $150 billion in benefits. Astonishingly, there is nowhere in the story evidence was provided to support both claims. There couldn’t have been as neither LGBTQ (or anything close to it) nor $150 billion was mentioned anywhere in the bulky multilateral document.
In its apology, Daily Trust said it agreed wholly with the verdict passed by the independent panel constituted by the Nigerian Media Complaint Commission (NMCC). The panel’s report released on September 23, 2024, following interrogation of the Federal Government’s complaint, was unequivocal. “The NMCC finds that the 403-page Samoa Agreement does not contain any clause that compels underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community for recognition as a condition for getting financial and other supports from advanced nations. Indeed, there is no reference whatsoever in the agreement to the issue of LGBTQ.”
I was appalled by the story first as a professional, before anything else. My social media post on the day it was published harped on its lack of the rudimentary journalistic requirement, viz. evidence. It was a comment I could have made even if I were not in government. Frankly, it is still a wonder how that story passed the crucible of the Trust newsroom, where I had worked and knew the editorial rigour.
Expectedly, the story whipped up tempers. Tongues were set wagging, mostly in one direction and, because the story came from a medium trusted for its journalism, everyone –except for discerning professionals–took it to be the gospel truth. Fortunately, or not, the story came out on Thursday. For its socio-religious sensitivity, it instantly became the main topic of discussion everywhere, especially in the Muslim North. Our dear imams were enraged. I don’t blame them because, again, the story came from Trust!
As if the anger wasn’t enough, some opposition figures followed the fire with more tinder. They went about mobilizing some religious leaders overnight to come out hard on the government. The next day most of the imams went to the minbar writhing with anger armed only with the wrong information. They poured out invectives at a government they supported but which was now “courting calamity greater than the economic hardship” on its people, as one of them put it. President Tinubu, the administration and all of us working with it were anathematised for “selling out the country to promoters of LGBTQ”. There was nothing the government couldn’t do for money, it was said. The congregants left the mosques angrier.
In the ensuing days, professionals and media organisations, some of them known to be very critical of the current administration, came out to fault the reporting as lacking in merit. Those who gave outright verdicts against the Daily Trust story either through fact-checks or analyses include the BBC, PREMIUM TIMES, The Punch, Prof Farooq Kperogi, a Daily Trust columnist – Dr Suleiman A. Suleiman, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), among others. The expectation was for a clear and immediate retraction, as it was clear that the paper got it wrong. Bouyed by the emotional sermons and partisan support from some quarters, the paper held on despite acknowledging “lapses in our reporting”.
In the wake of the controversy, we went through great pains trying to explain why there was no wolf around the Samoa Agreement as the drafters of the Daily Trust story wanted Nigerians to believe. I asked: In what ways had the agreement altered provisions of the Nigerian laws on LGBTQ? What are the practical implications that indicate support? I got accursed, rather than answers. It was painful to see almost everyone, especially up North turn their back against reason choosing to go with the contorted story that failed to quote even a line from the agreement to support its claims.
Exasperating as it was, I don’t blame the clergy and the larger public for the harsh judgement. The blame lies squarely on the doorstep of Trust. And this is the purpose of this post-mortem piece. Journalistic powers are akin to those of a soldier with a gun. Releasing the trigger in the wrong direction could kill or maim the innocent, and no amount of apology or even reprimand of the culprit could cure the loss suffered by the innocent. This is why the old principle that says “if you’re in doubt, leave it out” is evergreen for journalism practice. As professionals, we know pretty well that rebuttal or retraction can never attain the mileage of the original. There are still multitudes out there that will not change opinions formed from the first story.
It is for this reason that responsible journalism is non-negotiable because as the great old Philip L. Graham, publisher of The Washington Post once said, “Journalism is the first rough draft of history.” That rough draft often has a way of sticking even if subsequent events invalidate its premise.
Yes, accountability journalism is a sine qua non for healthy democracy. However, as the legal maxim goes, he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. Accountability journalism is not a byword for stone-throwing because when all you do is throw stones you end up causing more harm than good. We must, at all times, ensure the sanctity of truth, fairness, and public good. As the celebrated American war reporter, Edward R. Murrow said, “[T]o be credible we must be truthful.”
As close with the bon mot from the grand Sardauna, Sir Ahmadu Bello, while admonishing the founding team of the New Nigerian Newspapers; “Tell the truth about us, tell us the truth about others”. We ask for no more.
Abdulaziz is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Print Media.
Opinion
No Smoke Without Fire: Urgent Action Needed to Address FIRS’ Reckless Disruption of Healthcare in Kano
An open letter to the presidency
“There’s no smoke without fire” …Prompt action must be taken hook, line and sinker immediately.
Assalamu Alaikum, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon you.
To President Tinubu, Hon. Minister of Health, Stakeholders and all Health Practitioners of Nigeria.
I am bitterly compelled to write to you today regarding a disturbing incident that transpired at Best Choice Specialist Hospital in Kano city.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) actions at this private hospital have demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life.
Patients and parents have reported to Alfijir Newspaper that operatives of FIRS with officials, armed with guns, stormed the hospital, threatening and forcing them to vacate the premises.
The general plebeians already vulnerable due to illness, were left to wander the streets of Kano in search of alternative healthcare, only to find that many medical facilities were unavailable due to an ongoing doctors’ strike.
It is unacceptable that the FIRS dispute with the hospital should infringe upon citizens’ right to healthcare.
This conflict affects not only the hospital but the people who seek medical attention.
Best Choice Specialist Hospital is renowned for its philanthropic efforts and commitment to providing quality healthcare to the most vulnerable members of our society.
The hospital’s management has consistently demonstrated compassion and empathy, offering free medical services to those who cannot afford them.
Their selflessness has saved countless lives and alleviated suffering.
The hospital’s community outreach programs have provided vital healthcare services to rural areas, addressing pressing health concerns such as maternal and child mortality.
Their collaboration with local organizations has facilitated health education, disease prevention, and awareness campaigns.
Moreover, Best Choice Specialist Hospital has been at the forefront of disaster response, providing emergency medical care during times of crisis.
Their staff’s dedication and expertise have been instrumental in saving lives and mitigating the impact of devastating events.
We urge the leaders of our great nation and the Human Rights Commission to take immediate action against this abuse of power.
Furthermore, We also implore the FIRS to reconsider their approach, recognizing that their rights do not supersede those of others.
“If your own children were in need of medical care, would you not prioritize their well-being above all else?”
Solemnly we request all the stakeholders to intervene to prevent future incidents and ensure the hospital can continue its lifesaving work.
We await your prompt response and resolution on to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Editor-in-Chief, Alfijir Online Newspaper.
Yusha’u Hamza Kafinchiri Anipr
Air Peace, once renowned for its efficient service, has seemingly lost its footing in the Nigeria aviation industry. My recent ordeal on Flight P47425 from Kano to Abuja was a true picture that shows this decline.
Initially scheduled to depart at 9:55 pm on Monday, September 23, 2024, my flight was cancelled twice. The first notification read:
“Dear passenger, your Flight P47425 from Kano to Abuja…has been moved and will now depart at 14:40 on 23/09/2024 due to operational reasons.”
Upon arriving at the airport at 2:00 pm, I received another message.
Your flight is now rescheduled for 10:35pm due to same operational reasons.
Later at 10:00 pm, I collected my boarding pass and waited in the departure lounge, only to be informed of another delay.
At midnight, Air Peace Abuja-bound passengers protested the boarding of Lagos-bound passengers, demanding two aircraft be made available. After a tense standoff, aviation security personnel intervened, and both flights eventually departed around 1:16am.
My flight, which lasted a mere 34 minutes, landed peacefully at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 2:16 am. However, the journey was far from peaceful.
Air Peace’s struggles with operational efficiency have compromised passenger experience. Air travelers expect better communication, timely departures, and hassle-free flights. Air Peace must address these issues to regain passenger trust.
The airline must Improve communication regarding flight changes and delays and respect rescheadule timings.
They should enhance operational efficiency to minimize delays.
The management of air peace must provide adequate aircraft, staffing and resources to manage passenger flow or better still fold up and get out of business to save the country’s reputation in the eyes of other countries nationals traveling out domestic routes inland.
While my flight landed safely, the experience was marred by delays, chaos, and poor communication. Air Peace must prioritize passenger satisfaction to reclaim its reputation as a reliable carrier.
Yusha’u Hamza Kafinchiri Anipr,
Writes from Kadinchiri, Garko LGA,
Kano State.
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