The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has unveiled key drivers for the telecoms industry that would be deployed to sustain the present growth level of the industry.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr Aminu Maida who unveiled the drivers at an event to mark his first 100 days in office following his appointment as the new helmsman of the regulatory body and his first media interaction with journalists in Lagos, South West Nigeria, assured consumers that he would hold the telecoms operators accountable to deliver quality services.
While describing Consumers as the key drivers of the industry, he added that the Telecoms operators and the Government in his first 100 days in office has been a period of reflection on the task before him and gathering his thoughts together.
According to him, a key element of the drivers as he approached his years ahead in regulatory the telecoms industry in Nigeria, would be collaboration with all the relevant stakeholders in the industry stating that the Commission would be data centric considering the fact that “we are in a digital age”.
He said that as a regulator of the industry, the NCC is in full possession of the relevant data collected from the stakeholders and that the NCC would be leverage on them to drive a high level of efficiency in the industry adding that the NCC is the one that would enble other sectors of the economy to spur the growth and development of the Nigerian economy..
The NCC boss noted that he would be expecting a strict compliance from the telecoms operators stressing that as a regulator, the Commission would be holding the telecoms operators responsible for their obligation.
while noting the great strides that the industry has achieved in the years gone and how great it has developed, he the industry in the last couple of years has remained in the development stage promising that the NCC would this time around look at the needs of the stakeholders.
He further noted that the consumers are the major stakeholders that the NCC would be addressing their needs adding that the telecoms operators are more than stakeholders but investors whose business must be protected including potential investors.
Maida promised to end the era of the subscribers carrying multiple SIM device by empowering them to make the right choices while at the same time making the tariff very simple and transparent for the consumers adding that the NCC would focusing on how the enlightenment on how to use their device so as to reduce their data consumption.
According to him, the NCC is aware of the risk associated with SIM recycling noting that there is the need to check the status of unused numbers promising to introduce regulations that would and evaluate work on recycled numbers.
The NCC , he said is also working on reviewing the standard of operations for the telecoms operators to ensure cooperate governance from the operators adding that the Commission would also be doing more advocacy.
Maida pledged to adopt the blueprint of the agenda of the Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy noting that he would need the support of the media to be able to achieve that.
