NCC urges speedy passage of telecoms bills

The commission in particular urged the legislators to hasten the passage of the law establishing Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities as Critical National Infrastructure.The Executive Vice Chairman of the regulatory body, Dr. Eugene Juwah spoke in Lagos at the weekend during the NCC 2014 Legislators workshop with the theme ‘ICT Infrastructure as key driver for […]

The commission in particular urged the legislators to hasten the passage of the law establishing Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities as Critical National Infrastructure.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the regulatory body, Dr. Eugene Juwah spoke in Lagos at the weekend during the NCC 2014 Legislators workshop with the theme ‘ICT Infrastructure as key driver for economic development. What role for the Legislators?’.
According to him, although the Nigerian Communications Act  (NCA), 2003 is forward looking in providing a legal framework for the industry, some other laws such as those on Cybercrime law and Data Protection which will positively support telecommunications activities in the country are still pending at the National Assembly.
The EVC who was represented by the commission’s Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Engagement, Okechukwu Itanyin at event specifically organised by the NCC for members of the National Assembly also stressed the need for government to take serious the issues that concern the ICT as it shapes the future of any nation.
He said, “ICT as we all know holds the key to economic growth in a rapidly developing world and Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind. This theme was selected because the adequacy of ICT infrastructure for broadband penetration in Nigeria is of major concern to the regulator.”
Juwah who expressed dissatisfaction over the slow and low penetration of internet access in the country attributed the inadequacies to the “dearth of ICT infrastructure.”
He said, “Nigeria is regarded as one of the fastest growing telecommunications markets in the world; however internet penetration is less than 32 percent. This level of internet penetration is still inadequate and can be attributed to the dearth of ICT infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Tony Ojobo said some of the challenges faced by the telecoms industry are issues of vandalisation of  infrastructure which can be addressed with appropriate laws in place.
Ojobo said, “Each minute an infrastructure is being vandalized across the nation, fiber cuts and all of that, and each vandalism affects the quality of service provided.”