By Prince Osuagwu

Key Nigerian players and lovers of the country’s steady Information and Communications Technology, ICT growth, have commended the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC for leading the country to the top leadership position of the Council and Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).

According to them, this latest development has further deepened the recognition of the country as a key player in the global ICT state.

Their argument is that though Nigeria’s emergence as new Chairman of CTO, was not surprising, it has however, elevated the country’s status as a key player, not only among the commonwealth nations but in the global Information and Communication Technology market.

Leading the avalanche of stakeholders who poured encomiums on the regulator is the first Lady Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan, who is also the Child Online Protection Ambassador of the International Telecommunications Union, ITU.

Dame Jonathan at the weekend congratulated the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Eugene Juwah for pioneering the telecommunications sector to the enviable height that saw the country being elected the CTO council Chairman.

In a congratulatory letter to Juwah, Jonathan observed that “the Commonwealth has, once more, through this election demonstrated its confidence and goodwill, not only in you but in the Nigerian nation.”

While wishing him a successful tenure in office, the First Lady expressed the belief that Dr Juwah would use the opportunity to help curtail the threat and challenge of child online security, as well as deepen a secured penetration of telecommunication access within the less privileged communities in the commonwealth.

Other notable players who believed that the favourable regulatory regime enthroned by the NCC, facilitated the election to a great extent included the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Engr Lanre Ajayi and his counterpart in the Association of licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo.

Ajayi said “we are delighted about the new position into which Nigeria has been elected and in the new role, it is noteworthy that Nigeria is being represented by Nigeria’s chief telecoms industry regulator”.

He urged the NCC to leverage on the position to further launch Nigeria into higher status while enjoining the NCC to continue in the implementation of its various programmes in a manner that will benefit the industry more.

Expressing similar disposition, Engr. Adebayo, said “NCC has been tenacious in putting in place series of regulatory intervention to put the industry on the path of consistent growth, making telecoms a key enabler of economic development. The new role is a testimony to Nigeria’s frantic effort to remain as major player in the global telecoms space.”

The election took place during the CTO,s Forum and 54th council meeting which held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on September ,8-12,2014 with member countries well represented.

With the election, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, will assume this position on behalf of the West African country. He took over from Director for Human Capital and Administration at the Communications Authority of Kenya, Juma Kandie.

Juwah was previously 1st Vice-Chair of the CTO with over 30 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications sectors, including over 20 years of the above in top management-level positions.

Rated as the fastest-growing telecoms markets in Africa, Nigeria has grown tremendously recording an annual growth rate of 30 per cent.

Also, Juwah, in a speech delivered at the event, captured the major developments that are catapulting Nigeria’s telecoms industry onto the global ICT stage.

According to him, the country, has adopted the Open Access Model as the country’s choice of broadband deployment and in line with its National Broadband Plan approved by the Presidency early 2013.

In February, an operator was licensed on the 2.3GHz band as a wholesale wireless broadband access provider in what analysts have described transparent process to build out a network that can provide quality data services across the country.

Taking into consideration the huge population and landmass of the country, the country has been delineated into regions as a deliberate strategy to achieve rapid rollout of infrastructure for access.