Stakeholders in the telecom industry have urged the new board of the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), headed by Mr Idris Olorinnimbe to focus on improving declining service quality, ensuring the amendment of the 2003 Telecom Act, drive local content, innovations and others in the sector.
It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had last week appointed Olorunnimbe, the founder of The Temple, as chairman of the NCC board. Other members of the board awaiting Senate confirmation include Abraham Oshidami, executive commissioner, technical services: Rimini Makama, executive commissioner, stakeholder management; Maryam Bayi, former director, human capital & administration and Col Abdulwahab Lawal (rtd).
Others are Lekan Mustafa, Chris Okorie and Princess Oforitsenere Emiko and the secretary of the NCC Board.
The stakeholders including the operators, subscribers and a former director at the Commission urged the board to hit the ground running as soon as members are cleared by the Senate.
Reacting on behalf of the telcos, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr Gbenga Adebayo, welcome the board and its chairman urging them to consolidate on recent gains, strengthen investor confidence, and provide strong governance and policy direction to sustain industry growth.
He said: “We are very pleased with the appointment of Mr. Olorunimbe Idris as Chairman of the NCC Board alongside the newly constituted members. His reputation as a man of excellence and dedication precedes him, and we are confident that under his leadership, working with the Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, and the current management team, the sector is set to experience exponential growth like never before.
“Dr. Maida’s team has already set a very high bar with the progress recorded in network optimisation, expansion, and improved Quality of Service standards.
“With the new Board now in place, we believe the industry will surpass these strides and reach greater heights, further cementing the sector’s pivotal role in national economic development.
“We also commend President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for providing the industry with such a capable leadership team.
“We expect the Board to consolidate on recent gains, strengthen investor confidence, and provide strong governance and policy direction to sustain industry growth,” Adebayo said.
For him, the board’s short-term focus areas should be deepening broadband penetration, improving Quality of Service, driving local content and innovation, and strengthening collaboration with government and stakeholders to protect critical infrastructure. “We assure the new Board and NCC management of our full support and wish them every success,” he said.
Also reacting, a former Director of Public Affairs at the NCC, Tony Ojobo, welcomed the board, saying there had been a growing concern among stakeholders about the declining service quality in the industry and other challenges.
“There have been concerns, and worries amongst stakeholders about the declining quality of services and other regulatory challenges in the country. Regulating an industry, which drives the digital economy without a board is a panacea for chaos and retrogression.
“Now that a board has been constituted, it is important that the screening, confirmation and inauguration of the board, should be carried out expeditiously. The Commission needs the intervention of the board to resolve a number of challenges currently plaguing the industry. The telecommunications regulator has remained without a board for too long, the longest thus far since full liberalisation, and it has contributed to the myriad of challenges witnessed in the sector.
“The current board would have a lot of work to do, and should hit the ground running after Confirmation and inauguration. The board should urgently address issues such as; the amendment of Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, which cannot effectively address emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and issues bordering on technology convergence,” he said in a piece entitled: NCC in history – avoiding the psychic prison syndrome.
Other matters, Ojobo averred, include the declining quality of services, which should be holistically examined, to ascertain the immediate causes of the decline and address them; conduct a comprehensive staff audit to ensure that existing staff can effectively regulate the industry.
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“Ascertain if staff are adequately motivated to deliver on their assignments. The board should as a matter of urgency, examine the outstanding issues and challenges the services providers currently contend with, and ensure a quick resolution. The board with the Management should urgently conduct a stakeholders’ summit to directly take note of issues plaguing the industry, and address them expeditiously.
“NCC has a rich legacy of excellence, impartiality and professionalism. There is a need to ensure that the core values of the commission, the professional and excellent corporate culture, that is composed of a world-class human capital is maintained.
“Recruitment into the commission should recognise competence, capacity, and cognate experience. Inexperienced staff should be trained to be able to contribute to the progress of the organization. The bottom-up approach of the commission in its regulatory processes should be sustained.
“On a final note the board could draw from the expertise of erstwhile staff of the commission, with institutional memory, expertise and experience to provide guidance and advice. Fortuitously, Hajia Mariam Bayi, the former Director of Human Capital and Infrastructure, is on the new board. It is hoped that the new board can benefit from her experience. The newly constituted board should provide the needed guidance to the Executive Vice-Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida to move the industry forward. Time is not on the side of this board. The industry is in an emergency state, and urgent intervention is critical.
“The Commission’ management should avoid the psychic prison syndrome by ensuring that historical baggage arising from past regulatory decisions, unconscious fears arising from possible impact of regulatory actions, past successes or failures, do not put the organization in a psychic prison.
“Previous successes could lead to complacency, and lack of innovative regulatory initiatives, thus hindering innovation and development. The board and management should ensure that their belief systems do not shape the organizations regulatory actions in a retrogressive manner, but they should rather be progressive. The vision of the pioneer board and management, the mission and core values that have placed the country on the global regulatory map should be sustained. I wish the new board success as they navigate through the challenging regulatory issues currently confronting the sector,” Ojobo said.
Telecom subscribers too have called for inclusivity and broader collaboration in addressing the multiple challenges facing the industry to move it forward.
The subscribers, acting under the aegis of Association of Telecom, Cable Tv and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS-Nigeria), welcomes the appointment of Olrunnibe into the NCC family. He urged him to cooperate with the workers and always be on the side of the customers. He said the new chairman should come to the grassroots by carrying along subscribers in major policy decisions.
“On the issue of persistent vandalism of telecom infrastructure, we thank President Tinubu for the CNII Executive Order designed to criminalise vandalism and theft of telecom infrastructure. I think the critical issue in this is getting the subscribers and communities to own the infrastructure. Give them a sense of belonging and make them feel important. Like the ongoing war against terrorism, both the kinetic and non-kinetic approach should be deployed to protect telecom infrastructure. We wish the chairman and other board members best of luck,” he said.
Olorunnimbe was previously appointed as the board chairman of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in March, but his appointment was withdrawn in July and was replaced with Tanko Umaru Al-Makura, a former governor of Nasarawa.
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu also retained Dr Waida as executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of NCC.
Tinubu had appointed Waida as the EVC in October 2023, and the Senate confirmed the appointment in November same year.
“Olorunnimbe previously served on the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) Board, where he chaired the Stakeholder and Governance Committee and drove impactful youth employment and entrepreneurship programmes,” Onanuga said.
Onanuga also said the president approved the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, as chairman and Olorunimbe as vice chairman, board of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).
“Other members are; Abraham Oshidami, Rimini Makama, Aliyu Edogi Aliyu – (Rep FMCIDE), Joseph B Faluyi (Rep. of Federal Ministry of Finance), Auwal Mohammed (Rep. of FMBNP), Uzoma Dozie, Peter Bankole, Abayomi Okanlawon, Gafar Quadri and the USPF secretary,” the statement added.
According to Onanuga, the Federal Government established the USPF to facilitate the achievement of national policy goals for universal access and service to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, unserved and underserved areas in Nigeria.
