Erstwhile Director, Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Tony Ojobo has described the late Alhaji Ahmed Joda as a quintessential technocrat with eyes for details, whose ability to decipher issues and analytical mind was legendary.
In a tribute, he paid to the late NCC Board Chairman, Ojobo who condoled with the family over the death of the technocrat, recalled that the late Joda’s tenure as the Chairman of the NCC Board of Commissioners gave birth to the revolution witnessed in the ICT ecosystem today.
The late Ahmed Joda was Chairman of the NCC Board between 2000 and 2010.
According to Ojobo, “The combination of Alhaji Joda and Engr Ndukwe, an accomplished technocrat, administrator and a telecommunications guru laid a perfect foundation for a thriving telecommunications industry that has become a leader in Africa.
“Alhaji Joda and Engr Ndukwe took over an industry that had a teledensity of 0.04% or about 450,000 active lines in 2000 and rose to 63.11% or 157. 8 million connected lines and approximately 89 million active lines in 2010 at the expiration of their tenure. This was no doubt revolutionary. We celebrate Alhaji Joda for this accomplishment.”
Ojobo said that it was most auspicious to note that the Board of NCC had other distinguished telecommunications experts such as Engr Olawale Ige (former Minister of Communications), Engr Austine Otiji (former MD of NITEL), Engr Patrick Kentebe, and other distinguished Nigerians.
“Alhaji Joda was an experienced Chairman who presided over the NCC Board with the dexterity of a corporate guru, noting that his tenure witnessed such activities as institutional strengthening (by the World Bank , Deloitte and Touché & Detecom Gmb) of telecommunications demand study, restructuring of NCC to attract quality personnel, and of course, the icing on the cake, the Digital Mobile License (DML) auction, adjudged as one of the most transparent spectrum auctions in the world.
“The revolution across the spectrum of the ICT industry today is traceable to the doggedness, commitment, integrity and forthrightness of Alhaji Joda. Those of us who worked under his tenure remember his days as the golden era of NCC. His counsel in the industry will be missed,” Ojobo further remarked.
He stated that whenever the history of the development of telecommunications in Nigeria is told, the role played by Alhaji Joda will occupy prominent mention on the pages of the history.
He prayed to God to comfort his children and the entire family.