Danbatta says commission has contributed N1.4trn to economy

The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Danbatta, says the commission has contributed more than N1.4 trillion to the economy since its inception.

Danbatta said this when he delivered the 46th Convocation Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in Enugu State, on Thursday.

He said that policymakers needed to leverage on the potential of the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) sector to grow the economy.

The NCC chief executive officer said that the sector in recent times had shown massive potential and would be the needed elixir to turn the economy around for good.

He challenged policymakers to facilitate the adoption of ICT infrastructure in addressing issues in agriculture, health, energy and education sectors.

“It is in the interest of the country to harness potential that exist in the information-driven age to facilitate socioeconomic development,” he said.

Danbatta said the commission had as part of its mandate the improvement of learning in tertiary institutions, adding that its efforts were aimed at reducing time wastage in accessing teaching and learning materials.

“The commission will continue to facilitate the improvement of the content delivery and capacity development of tertiary institutions.

“The UNN is at the cusp of that ICT revolution and it must seize the moment and make bold initiatives,” he said.

He said that one of the strategic visions of the commission for the next five years was to facilitate partnership with non-state actors to advance the use of ICT.

Danbatta said the commission had provided the enabling environment for operators in the sector to invest in the International Submarine Cable landing stations to deploy broadband infrastructure.

According to him, these submarine cables have adequate capacities, abundant bandwidths that can cater for the bandwidth requirements of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

“Already functional ate SAT 3, Main-One, Glo 1, and WACS and In-Country Fibre Optic Cables Distribution and last mile. This is another investment opportunity for business people,” he said.

He said that the facilities were provided as a way of preparing the country for the digital economy that would be boosted by the imminent broadband revolution.

Earlier, the Chairman of the event, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, and President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, said that ICT infrastructure and tertiary institutions had become inseparable.

In an address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Ozumba, commended the NCC for its numerous assistance to tertiary institutions in the country.

Ozumba said that UNN was not unmindful of its responsibilities in contributing to the growth of the sector and Nigeria at large.