THE immediate past chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Chukwuka-Anene Ndukwe, has called for efficient management of the nation’s spectrum to ensure timely sales, describing spectrum as the oxygen that sustains the wireless system.
Dr. Ndukwe who spoke at a reception in his honour organized by the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) in Lagos at the weekend, challenged anybody who alleged that he own shares in any telecom company to come open.
“I challenge any telecom company in Nigeria, that I, Ernest Ndukwe, has a quarter of a share to come open,” he asserted.
A solid foundation, he said, has been laid for the blossoming of telecommunication industry in the country, just as he hinted that independence of the regulatory body, must be upheld to enable NCC to earn trust of the stakeholders as an impartial umpire.
Capitalising on broadband evolution, he said, it would engender the availability of electronic services (e-services) to the populace.
“We still need broadband at homes, offices and on mobiles,” he declared at the event tagged ATCON’s night and presided over by the former Communications Minister, Chief Olawale Ige.
Ndukwe equally said that Nigeria needs to grow teledensity from about 50 per cent to 100 per cent in the spirit of Vision 202020 agenda of the Federal Government.
According to him, whatever success made in the last 10 years while he was in office at NCC needed to be sustained if the nation must achieve its dream of vision 202020 and were made possible by first of all, God almighty, support from colleagues, his family and government as well as the media.
“One of the things I thank God is that I served successful. It takes a good family support and self discipline,” he said, stressing that though at times human beings need to fight for their fundamental rights, otherwise, it may continue to elude them.
Earnestly, he said, NCC received support at the highest level of government and that paved way for a lot of things, noting delightedly that tariffs have continue to drop to about 25 kobo per second as at last week, which is equivalent of N15 per minute.
He commended ATCON for an occasion like this, pointing out that the leadership transition in ATCON has been an exemplary and smooth since inception.
He commended the former president, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem for ensuring that the election process and transition went well.
Ndukwe also congratulated his successor at NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah and Executive Commissioner, Dr. Ifeanyi Itayi, while praying that they should surmount his achievements in the past 10 years.
Earlier, the chairman, Chief Ige said that the occasion was to welcome back one of their own by ATCON, noting that Dr. Ndukwe was ATCON’s president prior to his joining the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The new Executive Vice Chairman, NCC. Dr. Juwah, who stood in for the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. (Mrs) Dora Akunyili, applauded ATCON for the occasion to welcome back Ndukwe into their fold, just as he promised to sustain the development the industry made in the last decade.
In his good will message, the chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, commended Ndukwe’s leadership at NCC and cautioned the new CEO, Dr. Juwah to beware of those who may approach him with wrong agenda, promising that ALTON supported Ndukwe and is ready to back Juwah in delivery of his mandate to the industry.
For the president, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, while applauding NCC under Ndukwe’s headship, said that it has been beneficial to Nigerians, noting that being in government is somehow difficult because at times those in the helm of affairs find themselves in a fix between political, personal and national interests respectively.
And for the president, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Mr. Chris Uwaje, who reiterated his call for the examination of human specie, called Ernest Ndukwe, saying that he appreciated his style of leadership at NCC and today he sees him as a statesman.
ITRealms Online recalls that ATCON is a professional, non-profit, non-political umbrella organisation of telecommunications companies of Nigeria.
ATCON was formally inaugurated on December 10, 1993, with a membership profile currently made up of indigenous and multi-national telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria with over 150 memberships since its inauguration.
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