Oil Crisis: Use Telecoms Industry to Drive Economy, NCC Boss Urges FG
Dele Ogbodo in Abuja
Arising from the global crash in crude oil sale, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has advocated the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT), to drive the country’s economy.
The NCC boss who spoke weekend while hosting members of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria in Abuja, said there was unanimity in assumption that the telecoms sector has contributed more than other sector of the economy, besides oil and gas.
He asserted that “global oil prices are not favourable and therefore, what is accruing to Nigeria through oil and gas cannot be able to fund the kind of projects that are targeted at alleviating poverty.
According to him, the fall in oil prices is therefore indicative that government will rely more on the telecom sector to drive the economy, adding that the sector if well harnessed is capable of contributing more than 10 per cent to the country’s GDP.
He said: “Telecommunications therefore can play that important role that we need now going by what is happening in the global oil and gas market which is clearly indicative to us that we need to embrace alternative sector to grow the economy create jobs.”
He noted that all stakeholders must come together to a holistic approach the deployment of telecoms infrastructure, adding that the latest global ranking in infrastructure deployment indicated that Nigeria is not doing well.
The NCC boss said: “Infrastructure indices will continue to haunt Nigeria because we are still going to be at the bottom, there will be no visible improvement in infrastructure until we deploy consciously to those areas that un-served or underserved.
“We will not be able to change our position in the global infrastructure index no matter what we do, so what continues to deny this attainment of the required position of infrastructure deployment is definitely the taxation that operators are subjected to.
“It is surprising that on one hand we have a problem and on the other hand we have a document in the National Economic Council Report (NEC) that addresses the problem.”
According to him, there should be no barrier that should stop stakeholder in the implementation of the NEC report, adding: “So what is stopping us from implementing these important provisions that are friendly to the operators?
While the NCC boss is support of criminalisation of telecoms infrastructure vandalism, he called on operators to join NCC in the sensitisation and enlightenment campaign as destruction of fibre cables will lead to disruption in the quality of service.
While the NCC boss is support of criminalisation of telecoms infrastructure vandalism, he called on operators to join NCC in the sensitisation and enlightenment campaign as destruction of fibre cables will lead to disruption in the quality of service.
On NCC’s assistance to the rehabilitation of infrastructure in the North-east, he said: “What the North-east needs is rejuvenation; we need to put heads together as to what we can do for Nigerians living in that part of the country”.
No comments:
Post a Comment