Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been recognised for his outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the telecoms sector of the country’s economy.

KANO FOCUS reports that Dr. Maida received the award at the celebration of the 31st Anniversary of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), held in Lagos recently.

The event also featured presentation of awards to other individuals and institutions that have contributed to the growth of telecoms industry in the West African country.

The EVC/CEO of NCC was a Special Guest during the ATCON event, which many regarded as a veritable forum to take stock of the sector’s journey thus far, and recognise telecoms industry leaders.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, October 2023, had appointed Dr. Maida to succeed Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta as the new EVC/CEO to steer the ship of the foremost telecoms regulatory Commission in the West African country.

Speaking on his deserving recognition at the gathering in Lagos, Maida acknowledged the relevance of the telecoms industry and its contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the years.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of the Commission affirmed despite the apparent challenges in the country’s economy in the course of the outgoing year, there were lots of transformation in the industry which is a sign of growth.

He equally assured the stakeholders, that the Commission is working towards addressing issues associated with the telecoms industry.

In consonance with his avowed leadership style, Dr. Maida as the Chief Telecoms Regulator in Nigeria, has focused on activating his “consumer-centricity” leadership philosophy as the plank of the Commission’s regulatory affairs cum excellence.

According to him, this approach fundamentally, is aimed at ensuring the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other service providers continue to optimise their Quality of Service (QoS), ensure fairness and transparency in Short Messaging Service (SMS), voice and data plans to enhance consumers’ Quality of Experience (QoE) in the telecoms space.

Maida, at diverse fora since his assumption of duty as the EVC/CEO of NCC, has consistently stressed the need for the regulator to work with network operators to deliberately improve service quality, enhance telecoms consumer experience, stating that “excellent service delivery is a necessity” in Nigerian telecoms industry.

In the heat of the Telcos’ hard-pressed clamour for data, voice and SMS tariff increments for consumers, the NCC Chief yet urged telecoms operators to rather focus on improving their service quality towards evolving a healthier, more trustworthy, and consumer-centric telecoms environment, and explore “other innovative measures” rather than tariff hikes for telecoms subscribers in the ecosystem.

Again, in his recent Keynote Speech delivered at the 93rd Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP), in Abuja, FCT, he restated the Commission’s goal of attaining a “consumer-centric telecoms industry” that emphasises the need for service providers to boost consumers’ Quality of Experience, ensure fairness and transparency in service tariffs.

“Our goal is to create a truly consumer-centric telecoms industry, in which consumers feel valued, informed, empowered, and satisfied with the services they receive,” Dr. Maida asserted.

Earlier in his welcome address on the occasion, Mr. Tony Emoekpere, President of ATCON, had commended the Association’s past leaders, members, and other industry stakeholders for their tireless efforts at shaping the Nigerian telecommunications industry.

Emoekpere also averred that ATCON has been at the forefront of advocating private sector participation, fair competition and infrastructure development in the telecommunications sector of the economy, agency report said.

He also assured the Association would continue to collaborate with other stakeholders to position the country as a leading digital economy on the African continent.

ATCON, he noted, will also advocate policies that foster innovation and investment, drive infrastructure development to bridge connectivity gaps and collaborate across public and private sectors.

The highpoint of the event featured other awards, including lifetime achievement awardees, the launch of “100 Leading Personalities in Nigerian Telecoms”, and the Best-Performing Governor in Digital Transformation, carted by Godwin Obaseki, immediate past Governor of Edo State.

Several industry stakeholders, including telecoms operators, regulators, associations, and others attended the event.