The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has described its collaborative partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a very effective one that has led to the development of various brands of electronic transaction models.
This partnership, the Commission said, has totally reformed banking in Nigeria, making it possible for instant cash transfers to rural dwellers, cutting out waiting times at banking halls, and simplifying online transactions.
In a keynote address at the 2020 Virtual Nigeria Innovation Summit, Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta said between 2015 and 2020, a lot has been done to put Nigeria on the global map of nations that are electronically driven while delivering financial intermediation.
“Together with our stakeholders from the banking sector, the NCC is actively involved in the application of various electronic portals that continue to drive transactions off banking floor and onto handheld devices or personal computers.
The NCC, through its interventions, has continued to lift the Nigerian economy and create momentum and hope for financial inclusion based on the seamless implementation of the Commission’s Strategic Vision Plan,” he said.
Represented at the event by the Director, Public Affairs of the NCC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, the EVC noted that the NCC’s Emergency Communication Centres (ECC) have been crucial in the Federal Government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1,209 COVID-19-related calls made between March and June 2020 from the 19 ECCs across the country.
He added that the establishment of the ECCs by the Commission across the nation was borne out of the need to safeguard all Nigerians irrespective of their geographical locations.
According to him, “The Nigerian Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, has been putting measures in place to ensure the Coronavirus disease is controlled and quickly contained.
“Nigeria’s multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) activated its National Emergency Operations Centre and swiftly swung into action with State governments to contain the spread of the outbreak around the country.”
Danbatta stated that there are lessons to be learnt from the current pandemic, the most important of which is the need to continue to invest in infrastructure development in critical sectors of the economy, particularly the ICT sector, which has become the bastion of modern economies.
“We hope to reap the rewards of the Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) in the coming years and provide Nigerians with the comfort of new innovations and new ways of living.
“This would imply that broadband penetration would be improved significantly through deliberate facilitation of investment in fibre infrastructure, Quality of Service will be assured, and the available spectrum would be optimized with full benefits.
“There would be more investment opportunities in the industry, there will be access to strategic collaboration and partnerships, consumers would be fully protected and empowered, and there will be fair competition and inclusive growth,” he assured.
Danbatta pointed out that the socio-economic benefits of the expansion in telecommunications infrastructure embarked upon by the Commission would be of immense benefit to the country, especially with the rollout of the 5G technology which currently is being test-run in about forty (40) countries.
“This will be a significant upgrade for networks and will be the backbone for the future ICT industry post-pandemic recovery.
“Nigeria is exploring the potential benefits of deploying 5G technology as well as any health implications and once the coast is clear, a massive campaign will begin to enlighten Nigerians on the immense benefits that will be attained through 5G technology,” Danbatta further assured.
On Cybersecurity, the NCC boss noted that with the preponderance of activities now happening online, the vulnerabilities of cyberspace have increased significantly, noting that the NCC adheres strictly with ITU guidelines for the global telecoms industry.
“We have officials at the Commission tasked with monitoring global trends to ensure that NCC is abreast of the changes and the emergence of new technologies.
“With the advent of the Covid-19, ICT has become the major backbone for government activities and local businesses.
“The re-direction of human traffic to online portals for major transactions as a result of social distancing also meant that cybercriminals have a larger audience and a much bigger playground to execute their nefarious activities.
“The NCC, CBN, major financial institutions and Security Agencies, we have diligently ensured that Nigeria’s Cyberspace is secured.
Danbatta remarked that recognizing the need to entrench digital economy thinking in its operational activity, the Commission created a Digital Economy Department principally for implementing programmes and policies aimed at fully supporting and promoting the national digital economy agenda of the Federal Government.
NCC has been the major linkage in the drive for optimum economic development, as it remains the pioneer for all the major disruptions that would drive the nation’s economic reboot, especially the financial systems riding on electronic innovations.
“These innovations are driven by the availability of a robust communications infrastructure made possible by the Commission’s continuous quest for investment in the sector,” he stated.