Transparency shall be our bedrock in telecom regulation – Maida

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has pledged that transparency will form the bedrock of his leadership as Nigeria’s chief telecom regulator as this will enable a solid foundation in  building a resilient, accountable and efficient institution.

Maida spoke during a courtesy visit to the Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani in Abuja recently while briefing the minister on his activities, vision, and strategy since the assumption office in October 2023.

“Transparency is key. It is by transparency that we can self-regulate even as regulators. And by so doing, we would be putting ourselves on our toes, which in the long run will drive the Commission forward to achieve our goals of operational excellence,” Maida stated.

He commended the minister for leading by example in transparency in his leadership style.

“Honourable Minister, sir, one of the principles you have shown as a leader is transparency in all your activities and I must say that it is an attribute that has the potential to bring about a transformed industry that is accountable to both the people and the industry players,” he said.

The NCC boss conveyed his appreciation, through the Minister, to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding him worthy of the responsibility to lead a critical sector of the economy.

The EVC told the Minister that the visit is a crucial one which gave him the opportunity to share with the minister, his vision and priorities for the Commission. Maida also said that these priorities were in tandem with delivering on the 5-Pillars of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the Minister.

“I have been on this seat for about six weeks, and it has afforded me the privilege of a bird’s eye view to understand things better, and identify areas that we urgently need to work on. We are currently carrying out an in-depth study and critical review of issues within the industry. One of the areas we are placing priority on is Quality of Experience,” Maida told the Minister.

“At my meeting with industry leaders, we were unambiguous that quality of experience (QoE) will not be negotiable. The Commission will take compliance in this regard seriously, and a standard of what is least acceptable will be set,” the NCC CEO stated.

Maida told the Minister that another priority area for him is broadband connectivity, which he considers as the biggest enabler of the digital economy and financial inclusion. He noted that these align with the 5-pillar agenda of the Ministry.

The NCC CEO also reflected on the need to maximise the potentials of innovations in some technological evolutions such as the 5G revolution in order to create more opportunities within the industry and further boost connectivity.

He informed the Minister that a review of internal processes at the Commission is ongoing to engender efficiency and responsiveness of the Commission, including the digitization of most of our operations.

“Under my leadership, the Commission will give priorities to the improvement of our regulatory activities. With this, we hope to see more investors come into the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, with the attendant creation of vertical businesses and increased Foreign Direct Investments, revenue generation, and employment”, Maida stated.

The EVC also said that “In all these, the goal is for the Commission to achieve optimal operational excellence which underpins the success of all other priority areas that we have set in order to achieve a significant all-round growth of the telecommunications industry”.

Maida equally recalled his visit to the Digital Bridge Institute in Lagos, where he met an institution with vast potentials that would be an asset in driving a knowledge-based economy, in line with the “Knowledge Pillar” of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the minister.

“Consequently, we will be prioritizing the revamp, retooling, and redirection of the Institute towards extracting its optimum value in line with our objectives,” the EVC said.

Dr. Tijani, who warmly welcomed the NCC boss, acknowledged the importance and relevance of the telecom regulator in achieving the nation’s digital aspiration.

“The NCC is a stellar agency, and you have my respect for the work that you do. There is no future for the country without the NCC. Already, the quality you have is good; what we need to do now is to tap into this quality to bring about greater value for the country,” Tijani said.

“I want to assure you that you have the best partner in me. We will work together to achieve the goals and vision we have set,” the Minister assured the NCC CEO.