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NCC, Google collaborate to drive Nigeria’s digital transformation
Nasiru Yusuf
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Google Global Services Nigeria have expressed determination to work together toward advancing the actualisation of auspicious national targets for ubiquitous broadband access in furtherance of Nigeria’s digital transformation policy.
KANO FOCUS reports that the two organisations made the commitment when a delegation from Google Global Services Nigeria paid a courtesy visit to the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja recently to deliberate on viable collaborative interventions to propel digital transformation across the country and Africa.
This aligns with and gives unambiguous expression to NCC’s strategic vision plan centering on strategic partnership and collaboration with necessary stakeholders in order to achieve regulatory objectives.
Receiving the Google delegation, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the Commission’s expectations, initiatives, and vision towards increasing broadband penetration, quality of service, advancement of a digital economy and commitment to improving national security through technological advancement are at the front burner of its regulatory interventions.
Underscoring the importance of such synergy between the Commission and Google, Danbatta, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services (ECTS), NCC, Engr. Ubale Maska, said the Commission looked forward to making the initiatives of both parties more impactful by enhancing cooperation between the NCC and Google Nigeria for quantifiable and remarkable impact.
The EVC expressed optimism that Google’s investment in the subsea cable, Equiano, which is expected to land in Nigeria by end of April 2022, will be more impactful in driving NCC’s ongoing implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025, aimed at increasing broadband penetration to 70 per cent by 2025.
“I am hopeful that Equiano will have additional landing points in the hinterlands through collaborative efforts with the licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) to reduce retail data prices significantly and thereby complementing the Commission’s efforts at ensuring affordable Internet services are available to boost the Commission’s ongoing broadband policy drive,” he said.
Earlier in her remarks, the Director, Google West Africa, Juliet Ehimuan, who led the delegation to NCC, commended the NCC for its consultative approach in formulating regulatory policies, as engine room for optimal delivery of telecommunications services that will in turn impact the digital economy drive of the government.
She particularly applauded the Commission for its seamless, fair, credible, impartial and successful auction of the 3.5 Gigahertz spectrum for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) in Nigeria, stating that it is evident that both the NCC and Google share a common goal.
According to Ehimuan, demands for internet services have increased the need for more capacity, and sustainable collaborations with all relevant stakeholders within the public and private sectors.
She asserted that Google’s commitment of $1billion across five years in various interventions will support digital transformation in Nigeria and across Africa.
Ehimuan stated that research has proven that Africa will have an additional 300 million Internet users and Nigeria will lead in that number, given its current statistics of over 141 million internet subscribers and broadband penetration of over 40.88 percent as at January 2022.
The Equiano cable system is the third private international cable owned by Google and the 14th subsea cable invested by Google.
Equiano connects Portugal and South Africa, running along the West Coast of Africa, with branching units along the way that can be used to extend connectivity to more African countries. The first branch is expected to land in Nigeria by end of April 2022.
Mukhtar Yahaya Usman
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for immediate redeployment of the Kano State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner Abdu Zango from the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the State APC Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas said this, when he presented a petition challenging the outcome of the March 18 governorship election at the state’s INEC office on Wednesday in Kano.
Abbas, represented by the state APC Legal Adviser, Abdul Fagge, said that INEC should have declared the election as inconclusive for some reasons.
“The REC manifestly affirmed the allegations of partisanship, favouritism and rigging against him when on March, 20 he connived with the Returning Officer to declare Abba Yusuf of the NNPP as the winner of the governorship election instead of declaring that the election was inconclusive,” he said.
He said that the number of voters in polling units where election was cancelled was 273,442, which was more than twice the margin of win between the two main contenders in the election which was 128,897.
‘’The REC and the Returning Officer thereby disenfranchised the 273,442 voters and acted contrary to the combined provisions of Section 24, 51 of the Electoral Act, 2022, Article 62 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Election, 2022.
‘’There action was also contrary to items 4.2.16, Note 32 at page 84 and item 6 of the table at page 93 of the Manual for Election Officials, 2022.
“It is in view of the foregoing that we once again register our loss of confidence in the Kano REC and demand for his immediate redeployment in line with the dictates of the law, impartiality and respect for due process and the rule of law,’’ he said.
INEC had declared Abba Yusuf of NNPP as the winner of the election after polling 1,019,602 votes to defeat Yusuf Gawuna of the APC, who scored 892,705 votes.
Aminu Abdullahi
The Kano State Governor-elect, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has urged his supporters and members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to embark on prayers for ingenuity and guidance for his leadership towards delivering the dividends of democracy.
KANO FOCUS reports that this is contained in a statement in Kano on Wednesday by Spokesperson of governor-elect Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.
The prayers, Yusuf said, are sufficient as a show of solidarity and celebration of his victory at the polls on Saturday and not miles of trek by some of his enthusiasts in some quarters especially given the state of insecurity with banditry, kidnapping and terrorism threatening peaceful movement of people and goods across the length and breadth of the country.
Yusuf also pledged commitment to improved infrastructure and good welfare for the aged, civil servants and private sector among others in the state.
“The incoming Kano State Government will be committed to a greater future of the people with security, health, education, economic, infrastructure and good welfare for aged, civil servants and private sector among others”, he said.
Aminu Abdullahi
All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the last Saturday gubernatorial election, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna on Tuesday rejected the declaration of Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party NNPP as the winner of the poll in Kano state.
KANO FOCUS reports that Gawuna in his first public appearance after the poll, spoke during a press conference by the party in the state capital.
The Deputy Governor who admitted that power comes from Almighty Allah, however said he aligned with the positions of the party which among others gave INEC 7 days ultimatum to declared the governorship poll inconclusive.
Gawuna who was in the company of party leaders, said it was astonishing that with the same election, 16 of the House of Assembly elections held same day and same conditions were declared inconclusive by INEC.
Meanwhile, the APC in Kano has rejected the announcement of Abba Kabir Yusif of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as winner of the just concluded governorship election in Kano calling for immediate review of the election result by the electoral umpire within seven days.
The APC chairman, who was represented by the party’s legal adviser, Abdul Adamu Fagge insists that the election should be declared inconclusive because the cancelled votes were greater than the margin between the first and the second parties of NNPP and APC respectively as provided by the Electoral Act.
Fagge said that there was no way the election could be declared conclusive with over 270,000 votes cancelled which a margin shows is bigger than the winner’s votes.
The party also drew attention to the cancellation of sixteen House of Assembly elections in the state, sighting violence as the reason, while the same votes were considered in collating the governorship election.
It expressed dismay saying the two elections took place same day, same time, same places and under the same circumstances.
Fagge said, “based on section 65 of the Electoral Laws 2022, we have written to INEC to revisit and cancel the hasty, wrong and selfish declaration of the NNPP as winner of the elections, and declared the conduct inconclusive”.
He said they have since written to INEC to within seven days revisit the elections based on the provisions of the Electoral laws and declare it Inconclusive.
The Legal Adviser explained that INEC Returning Officer, acted not on the only basis of the provisions of laws.
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