July 03, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s grassroots communities and the underserved population of the country will not be left out of the national broadband plan, when the implementation comes to fruition.
Speaking in Lagos at a session, which discussed the critical issue of financial inclusion expected to be facilitated by a robust infrastructure deployment for broadband availability, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the Commission is mindful of the infrastructure gaps in the country and therefore, committed to driving the national digital economy to the grassroots.
“As a Commission, we have a mandate to ensure availability of universal access to telecom services, irrespective of circumstances and location of Nigerians and other users in Nigeria”, said Bruce-Bennet, who also informed the audience that voice communications enjoys over 100 percent penetration.
The EVC of NCC, who spoke through Freda Bruce-Bennet of the Digital Economy Department, reiterated the Commission’s focus in supporting the quest for financial inclusion through provision of robust infrastructure such as broadband.
At the event hosted by Oriental News Nigeria, an online news organisation, at the Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos, which focused on: “Engaging with Critical Grassroots Groups to Develop Effective Financial Inclusion Initiatives”, Bruce-Bennet said the Commission has been at the forefront of driving technology platforms required to drive increased access to financial services by all and sundry.
She cited the current implementation of an open access model (Infraco licencing) for deployment of broadband infrastructure in the six geopolitical zones, as well as Lagos (which enjoys a special status within telecom ecosystem), as one of the strategies adopted by the Commission to ensure a robust infrastructure deployments that will support many platforms that can accelerate financial inclusion.
Bruce-Bennet said that the Commission had facilitated strategic partnerships with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Rockefeller Partnership Agreement (RPA) and other government agencies, to promote Digital Financial Services (DFS) and Digital Financial Inclusion (DFI) in Nigeria.
Bruce-Bennet also stated that the NCC, through its Digital Economy Department, is fostering the development of a portal for the Association of Skilled Vocational Artisans of Nigeria (ASVAN) for information and digital training purposes.
At the event, the Chairman, Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, Dr Uju Ogubunka, applauded the Commission for its regulatory efforts in creating an enabling environment for digitised financial inclusion, and charged the participants and other government agencies present to take advantage of the information portal of the Commission to glean necessary information because robust digital economy will, amongst other things, improve the standard of living of the people who are willing to harvest the benefits.
Meanwhile, NCC’s support for sports development, with particular reference to the popular NCC sponsored tennis championship for youth, dominated discussions at the launch of a book on sports in Nigeria in Lagos at the weekend.
At the launch of the book titled ‘Sport in Nigeria: Going Round in Circles”, – authored by Sports Administrator, Godwin Kienka, at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Race Course, Onikan, Lagos, where the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, was the Guest of Honour, the Commission was acknowledged as a patriotic corporate institution that has supported sports in Nigeria at the grassroots.
The cross section of the sports administrators and admirers of tennis urged the Commission not to relent in supporting sports in Nigeria, for the benefit of empowering the youths of Nigeria, like it has done in the sponsorship of tennis across the six geopolitical zones.
The author of the book, Godwin Kienka, acknowledged that the sponsorship offered by the Commission since 2015, has set the tone for the development of Nigerian youths for future careers in lawn tennis.
“I want to appreciate the NCC for having set a sterling example in recent years for other private and public sector stakeholders and institutions to emulate. We appreciate the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, for sustaining the sponsorship when he assumed office in 2015 and for his outstanding contribution to youth and sport development in Nigeria in general”, Kienka said.
Between 2015 and 2016, the NCC engaged in sponsorship of lawn tennis tournaments that rekindled interest in and re-defined tennis competition in Nigeria because of the renewal it brought to tennis development in Nigeria.
Part of NCC’s objective for embarking on the tourney was to help in nurturing and exploring the talents in the Nigerian youth through robust competition so as to help them perfect their skills. It was also to promote peace and friendship among the players and by extension enthrone a pan-Nigeria solidarity of sports enthusiasts.
The tournament, which featured the hosting of several marches in different parts of the country including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Asaba, Onitsha, Abeokuta, Kaduna, Abuja and Enugu, also had the objective of fruitfully engaging the players, officials and the youth population in some value-driven activities associated with the sports competition in general.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
