TECHDIGEST –  The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, says the Federal Government has no plans to strip the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) of its powers.

Pantami gave this clarification while making a presentation at the 19th edition of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Scorecard from 2015 to 2023, on Thursday, in Abuja.

He refuted insinuations that the ministry designed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to take the powers of NCC.

According to him, both the NCC Act 2003 and NITDA Act 2007 were obsolete and long overdue for review.

He pointed out that the old acts did not address the fourth industrial revolution and emerging technologies.

READ ALSO: FEC Approves Data Protection Bill For Transmission To National Assembly

“We are talking about Fourth Generation (4G) Technology and Fifth Generation (5G) Technology today as well as the digital economy.

“The NITDA Act was specifically on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, while the NCC Act dwells more on telecommunications.

“I had a meeting with the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC and the Director-General of NITDA and I directed them to work together.

“There was an agreement that both acts need amendments.

“NITDA had over 30 stakeholders’ engagements and I am sure NCC too.

“It is unfair that someone will say because I was once Director-General of NITDA and, therefore, I tilted towards NITDA,” Pantami added.

He also said that he stood his ground for the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) over stamp duty issues.

“I protected NCC recently when an agency took N42 billion belonging to the agency.

“The higher authority asked the agency to return the money to the NCC.

“I stood my ground for NIPOST over stamp duty issues.

“The late Boko Haram leader threatened my life when we insisted on the implementation of National Identification Numbers (NIN) and Subscribers Identity Modules (SIM) linkage”, Pantami said.

The minister said that based on the assessment of independent consultants engaged by the Federal Government, the ministry’s scorecard was graded “A” in all the eight priority areas assigned to it by President Buhari.

According to him, broadband penetration as of November 2022 stood at 46.2 per cent.

“Quarterly revenue generation from the ICT sector at N408 billion.

“Employment generation in the digital economy sector alone at 2.2 million Nigerians within the last three years.

“The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) was able to capture NIN of over 95 million citizens on its database within two years,” Pantami said.

This is a milestone compared to figures of 39 million Nigerians captured by the same agency for 13 years.

Through the implementation of the e-governance policy, he said, the ministry saved over N47 billion for the Federal Government.

The minister also said that he inherited only one national policy, but presently, the ministry is implementing 19 national policies.

Eighteen Nigerian universities, he said ,are being provided with unlimited broadband access (free Internet services).

Twenty Nigerian markets are also benefitting from such gestures free of charge.

Pantami said that all the policies being implemented by this administration would be concluded before May 29.

he added that President Buhari would also inaugurate the N12 billion National Centre for Digital Innovation in Abuja.

He identified deficits in infrastructure and vandalism of fibre optic cables as the challenges facing the telecommunications industry.

In one particular year, he said, the ministry recorded 13,000 cases of vandalism of fibre optic cables across the country.

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TECHDIGEST – The Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting today 25th February, 2022 approved the Nigeria Data Protection Bill. By virtue of this historic approval, the Bill will now be transmitted to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill through the office of the Hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.

It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau on the 4th of February 2022. The Bureau was mandated to, inter alia, implement the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and to coordinate the passage of an enabling Act for data protection. The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo presided at the FEC meeting.

READ ALSO: NITDA To EU EOM: FG Safeguarding Digital Space To Ensure Successful Election

The pioneer Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami the Bill to the Federal Executive Council. The central objective of the Bill is to safeguard the fundamental rights and freedoms, and the interests of data subjects, as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, by —

providing for the regulation of processing of personal data;

promoting data processing practices that safeguard the security of personal data and privacy of data subjects;

ensuring that personal data is processed in a fair, lawful and accountable manner;

protecting data subjects’ rights, and providing means of recourse and remedies, in the event of the breach of the data subject’s rights;

ensuring that data controllers and data processors fulfil their obligations to data subjects;

establishing an impartial, independent, and effective regulatory Commission to superintend over data protection and privacy issues, and supervise data controllers and data processors; and

strengthen the legal foundations of the national digital economy and guarantee the participation of Nigeria in the regional and global economies through the beneficial trusted use of personal data

The National Commissioner and CEO, NDPB, Dr. Vincent Olatunji who accompanied the Hon. Minister to the FEC calls on all stakeholders to cooperate with the Federal Government in ensuring the sustainability of the abundant opportunities in Nigeria’s digital economy.

With the full support demonstrated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, a clear signal has been sent to the global data processing ecosystem that Nigeria is committed to safeguarding fundamental rights and freedoms of Nigerian citizens which may be impacted one way or the other by the activities of data controllers and data processors.

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TECHDIGEST – The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has called for collaboration amongst the government, institutions, and the people in order to fully reap the potentials of the digital economy.

According to the Director General, “digital economy presents wealth of opportunities for the growth and development of the country. But this could only be achieved if the government, institutions and people work together in a manner that ensure inclusiveness and sustainability.”

Inuwa stated this at the Kwara State University, Malete, as a keynote speaker during the 2023 Digital Economy Sensitisation Lecture Series with the theme; “Digital Economy: The Triple Helix Model of Government, People and Institutions.” The lecture series also coincided with the launch of the university’s centre for Digital Economy.

The NITDA boss maintained that the three elements involved in the advancement of digital economy needs to put resources together in order to foster economic prosperity for other sectors of the economy.

READ ALSO: Digital Skills: NITDA Inaugurates Volunteer Group for NDSS

He said, “The triple helix model is an interaction among these three for the purpose of fostering the economic transformation of various sector of the economy.”

The DG described the role of the government as critical in developing the digital economy because it must enable a conducive environment for innovation, investment and growth. He observed that institutions must impact knowledge on the people and promote research and intellectual discussion, adding that the people and the industries must be a vehicle for commercialisation.

He recalled that the rigorous implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, (NDEPS) by relevant stakeholders under the leadership of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) has increased significantly the contribution of the Digital Economy to the nation’s Gross Domestic Products to the “unprecedented 18.44 per cent.”

He maintained that NITDA has been playing critical roles in the implementation of NDEPS and at the forefront of promoting technology, innovation and building the Nigeria’s Digital Economy.

He said, “In building a digital economy, NITDA has developed and is implementing several projects with the resolve to develop digital skills in educational institutions and rural communities across the country. In addition, the Information Technology (IT) knowledge gap is being bridged in under-served areas to develop human capital and provide universal access to knowledge in order to create a knowledge-based economy.”

While acknowledging the role of government to provide basic and relevant regulations that will serve as guidance for the institutions, people and industries, Inuwa stated that NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2021-2024 was mapped out in line with the vision of NDEPS.

According to him, the document, with seven strategic pillars would not only ensure the development, usage and sustainability of digital technology but would also deepen Nigeria’s economy digitally, ensure diversification, promote innovation and digital literacy amongst Nigeria.

He added that, “the NITDA’s SRAP is focused on the facilitation of a rapid transformation of the digital economy through elaborate stakeholders’ collaborations for the implementation of the NDEPS. All the seven pillars of the roadmap and their objectives require extensive collaboration with the stakeholder to achieve their aims.”

Inuwa noted that the theme of the lecture resonated with the Digital Literacy and Skills, and the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship pillars of the SRAP which are designed to facilitate the digital transformation of the country.

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TECHDIGEST – Federal government of Nigeria is to launch a second satellite (Sat 2) into the orbit to boost the nation’s satellite communications’ capacity.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, who disclosed this at a one-day working visit and interactions with staff of Nigerian satellite Communications, Abuja, said he had secured the approval of President Mohammadu Buhari for purchasing of the satellite.

He also disclosed he had gone further to lobby the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to ensure this was included in the 2022 Budget.

Though the Minister refused to disclosed the amount approved and how many satellites would be purchased, it was gathered that the federal government earmarked the sum of N2.5 billion for Satellite 2 project in the 2022 budget estimate.

The existing Sat1R, which was launched in 2011 with a life span of 15 years, will expire in the next four years.

Recall that the federal government had in 2017, announced plans to raise $550m for the construction of two new communications satellites for Nigeria, which the Chinese Export and Import Bank accepted to provide.

According to NIGCOMSAT, the approval of the Chinese bank followed representation by Nigeria that it could not afford the 15 per cent counterpart funding required for the country to access the loan of $550m for the construction of the two new communications satellites.

an institution and make it very successful, that you must make. The challenge of reviving NIGCOMSAT is not just a necessity but an obligation for all the staff,” he added.

Speaking on the revolution in NITDA, Pantami said through innovative policies and implementation, he succeeded in raising NITDA revenue from N7 billion to N19 billion annually, an agency that was supposed to be scrapped according to Oronsaye Report.

“We revived NITDA and the agency has become a reference point for any IT project,’’ Pantami said.

On NIMC, the minister said he had also secured the approval of N25 billion for the agency’s infrastructure upgrade.

“Look at NIMC and what we have achieved, the NIN environment since inception of National Identity Card to 2020 when i assumed supervision of the commission even after billions have been spent was below 30 million, and this is direct enrollment without leveraging on any database.

“Before I assumed supervision, the annual enrollment used to be around 1.5 to 2million but between October 2020 to December 2021, we increased the NIN environment by 30 million in using the obsolete infrastructure. Mr President has approved N25 billion for the infrastructure but till today, no money has been released from October 2020 to date but we are still doing the work, that is why thinking outside the box is necessary.

“The achievement of this one year has been better than the previous 10 years and within that 10 years there was a time N100 billion was released but this one no single Kobo was released to us. As the DG of NITDA, I increased the revenue generation of NITDA from N7 billion annually to N19 billion. Leverage on the opportunity and turn things around.

“Before I became the Minister, there was an Orunsanye report that recommended that NITDA should be scrapped and that the IT clearance should be given to Galaxy Backbone but today nobody is talking about scrapping of NITDA because the institution has turned things around.

“If you turn things around, you will go back and sleep but if you fail, you will be struggling So the challenge is on your table, the earlier you use 2022 and make NIGCOMSAT better the better for all of you but if you fail to do that, many people are there waiting for me to go so that they can execute their agenda.

“2022 is the best year for you to turn things around but if you fail to do that, it will be the worst year for you I don’t pray for that, I pray for the best for you but you must get your priority right,” he said.

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TECHDIGEST – The Minister of Communication and digital economy, Professor Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami has directed NCC to commence immediate implementation of the National Policy on 5G. This implies that Nigeria will soon witness deployment of the technology meant to drive digital economy activities.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has described the recent approval of the policy on fifth generation technology (5G) as a major boost to its plan.

TechDigest reported that Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari approved the 5G Policy following a presentation by Prof. Isa Pantami, the minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

The approval of the 5G Plan by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari and the FEC is a major boost to Nigeria’s promising 5G Plan, which has the objectives of ensuring efficient assignment of spectrum for 5G deployment, creating an enabling environment for investment in the telecom industry, ensuring effective deployment of 5G to cover major urban cities by 2025, among others.

Following the approval, the Minister has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence immediate implementation of the 5G plan for the country.

“The roll-out of the 5G will be carried out in phases beginning with major cities in the country ‘where there is need for high quality broadband,’ the Minister said in a statement by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, director, Public Affairs at NCC.

“The NCC will publish an implementation roadmap for the deployment of 5G across the country with service roll-out obligations.

In addition, the Commission has been directed to commence the development of relevant regulatory instruments to address issues related to health, safety and others to drive effective implementation of the roll-out of 5G by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).

“The National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), chaired by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, will, in no distant time, release the 5G Spectrum to the NCC for auction to MNOs that will need the spectrum for 5G deployment.

“The approval of the 5G Plan by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari and the FEC is a major boost to Nigeria’s promising 5G Plan, which has the objectives of ensuring efficient assignment of spectrum for 5G deployment, creating an enabling environment for investment in the telecom industry, ensuring effective deployment of 5G to cover major urban cities by 2025, among others”, he said.

“In line with the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 for a Digital Nigeria, and the positioning of Nigeria as an early adopter of digital technology in the growing global digital economy, the successful and timely deployment of 5G is crucial. 5G is expected to facilitate several emerging technologies, generate innovative use cases, spur significant socio-economic growth and create jobs.

Prof. Pantami appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, the entire FEC members, the National Assembly, as well as other industry stakeholders for their roles and contributions in the journey that culminated in the approval of the 5G implementation for the country.

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