17 Mar 2013
Dr. Eugene Juwah
By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Nigeria has witnessed a huge advancement in the development of the
telecommunications industry with her subscriber base now over 113
million and an investment profile that currently stands about $25
billion.
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) which gave the update,
said the SIM Card registration had been completed while the much awaited
Number Portability project would take off shortly.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, who spoke on the
growth in the sector during a sent-forth dinner for old NCC board
members in Abuja yesterday, said the active telephone lines had hit over
113 million lines from a paltry 450,000 in 2000.
Juwa while paying tribute to the four former board members of NCC,
the former Minister of Information, Chief Olawale Ige, Engr. Mutari
Zimit, Emmanuel Adabayo Atoyebi, and Engr. Steven Bello, said the growth
recorded in the sector was a reflection of the formidable manpower in
place.
He attributed the rapid progress recorded in the sector to the
appointment of quality men and women to take charge of the operations of
the telecommunications sector.
"Presently investment stands at about $25 billion and active lines are
well over 113 million and we are still counting. This could not have
been possible without the team which is seated here with us today, " he
said.
Speaking on the performance of NCC under his administration, Juwah
said the commission has had to rely on the strength of it's human
capital to keep the industry moving.
He said NCC has also made sure that it did not scrap the legacy projects that were started by previous leadership.
As part of its drive to steer the ship of the industry on the path of continuous growth, the Vice Chairman, said NCC will encourage more investment in critical infrastructure and ensure that there is adequate investment by operators on each subscriber.
As part of its drive to steer the ship of the industry on the path of continuous growth, the Vice Chairman, said NCC will encourage more investment in critical infrastructure and ensure that there is adequate investment by operators on each subscriber.
" It is our pledge to sustain the industry as the envy of all sectors
of the economy and by so doing surpass our contributions to the
transformational agenda of the Federal Government, " he said.
In the area of shortcomings and challenges, Juwah said the
telecommunication industry is a deep and delicate sector with many
divergent interests and stakeholders, some of whom are difficult to
satisfy.
"You will agree with me that just as there were legacy projects, there
were also some legacy problems. The power problem still remains,
multiple taxations by various governments are still hydra-headed,
vandalisation of infrastructure is rampant, there are multiple
regulations from ancillary agencies and right of way for easy service
deployment and expansion still constitutes a headache, "he said.
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