- Expresses further optimism for industry
By: Ikenna Oluka
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, FAEng, has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, over his recent victory at the 2019 presidential election.
Danbatta, in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs of the Commission, Mr Nnamdi Nwokike, extolled the virtues of the President, adding that the electoral victory was a reward for his selfless service to the nation.
He further observed that the Commission has, in the last 4 years, received the unwavering support of the President, which helped not only in reasserting its regulatory independence, but also making it a global household name in the area of regulatory excellence, and operational efficiency.
History was made last year when Nigeria surpassed its National Broadband penetration target of 30%, as 31.48% penetration was attained at the end of December, 2018.
The broadband penetration figure was 8.5% when President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR took over the mantle of leadership of the country and appointed Prof. Danbatta as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NCC in August, 2015.
Danbatta, therefore, expressed optimism that with the continued supports the Commission is enjoying from the Presidency, NCC is now ready to take the broadband penetration to the next level.
It can also be recalled that the telecom industry has, in the last 4 years, remained resilient even in the face of most daunting economic challenges the country has ever experienced, with quarterly contribution of between N1.4 trillion to N1.5 trillion to the nation’s GDP — according to the statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The contribution to the GDP has hit N.19 trillion in the 4th quarter of 2018 according to the bureau.
There were 174 million active subscribers on the nation’s telecommunications networks as at January, 2019, while the figures for internet users hit 113.8 million in the same month.