Aminu Maida Gets Senate Nod As NCC Boss

• Pledges to prioritise coverage and connectivity nationwide

BY VICTOR BUORO – The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the nomination of Dr Aminu Maida as the substantive Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

This follows the upper legislative chamber’s consideration and adoption of a report submitted by its Committee on Communication that screened the nominee on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

Presenting the report during Senate plenary on Thursday, the Committee Chairman, Senator Aliyu Ikra Bilbis, representing Zamfara Central, said Maida’s nomination was in accordance with section 8 (1) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Act, 2003.

Senator Bilbis, a former Minister of Communications, urged the Senate to consider and approve President Bola Tinubu’s request to confirm Maida for appointment as the country’s Chief Telecom Regulator, given his requisite qualifications and professional experience.

Also, the Chairman said Committee considers Maida, who had earlier passed all scrutiny by the relevant security agencies in the security governance sector, as a proper and fit person with the competence, and regulatory capacity to ensure accelerated development in the nation’s telecommunications sector.

Accordingly, the Senate endorsed his appointment through a voice vote and he will serve a five-year term in office, subject to renewal by the President.

Maida had during his screening by the Senate Committee, offered insights into the industry, as well as his qualifications, experience, suitability, and competence to manage the sector.

It is indeed kudos to him that he was variously described by the Committee members as a round peg in a round hole.

He informed the Committee priority focus would be on improving coverage and connectivity by bridging access gaps between rural and urban communities, explaining that this would be achieved through increased broadband infrastructure as well as increasing the quality service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) for the consumers to enable them to get value for money.

Similarly, Maida pledged to ensure that under his watch, the Commission’s licensees, numbering over 8,000 across different segments of the sector, would be made to adhere strictly to their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with their consumers in terms of service delivery.

He also promised to create a more conducive environment for investment in the sector, assuring that the NCC’s dynamic team would work to “re-think” how to effectively leverage on the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to bridge the extant digital divide in the country.

For him, the coming years would have the Commission prioritising inter-agency collaboration towards achieving the current blueprint for the digital economy sector, even as the ongoing review of the NCA 2003 is expected to produce greater innovation for improved industry performance and stability.

While soliciting the National Assembly’s support to succeed in the task ahead, Maida assured of his commitment to aligning regulatory activities with the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, developed to accelerate the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President.