The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said that the mass media, whether print, broadcast, online, or other specialised genres, will remain central and strategic stakeholders to the Commission in its commitment to delivering on its regulatory mandates as enshrined in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 and other policy instruments.
The EVC stated this in his remarks when he received a delegation of the Management of National Economy, a media organisation, that paid a courtesy visit on the Commission at its head office in Abuja.
Speaking through the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Danbatta said NCC remains irrevocably committed to deepening its already established relationship with media.
Danbatta explained that there is no gainsaying the fact that the Commission, by virtue of its regulatory activities in the telecom ecosystem, occupies a strategic position in the official architecture instituted to enhance national economic development.
The EVC said by the reckoning of stakeholders, the Commission has performed well, and it recognises the role of the mass media in its successes. He noted that the relationship of the Commission with the mass media has been cordial over the years, and that the Commission will never take the media for granted nor act in any manner that may rupture the relationship.
Recalling the significance of media support in the accomplishments of NCC, the EVC asserted that, the positive, prominent, accurate, timely and adequate reporting of the Commission by a broad spectrum of the media agency, eased Commission’s burden in putting its activities in the public sphere and enhanced its effort to enlist the support of other key stakeholders in the telecom ecosystem.
The EVC further stated that the Commission has a deliberate policy of constructive engagement with the media and other stakeholders because it understands the centrality of providing a platform for continuous interface toward positioning and projecting the Commission as a flagship public sector brand in Nigeria and a leading light of telecom regulation in Africa and globally.
Danbatta thanked the media for its superlative response in reporting telecoms notable contributions to GDP, particularly the significance of the sectoral feat in taking Nigeria out of recession.
Speaking further, the EVC recalled, with gratitude, the noteworthy media reportage of the processes emplaced for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) services in Nigeria, especially the successful auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (Ghz) spectrum for the rollout of the 5G services. He urged journalists and other communication professionals to amplify Commission’s voice in its publicity and sensitisation of the citizens and all stakeholders on the importance of the new generation network towards the economic development of the nation.
The NCC Chief Executive stated that the Commission looks forward, very enthusiastically, to a more robust collaboration with all stakeholders in communication practice, in order to ensure goal-oriented reporting of the unfolding national developments in the digital economy sector, because of the derivable benefits to the citizens, businesses and the nation at large.
While thanking the Management of National Economy for the visit, commendation and support to the Commission over the years, Danbatta also expressed NCC’s commitment to sustaining its favourable relationship with the media.
The delegation from the National Economy was led by Chief Mike Okpare, Vice Chairman. Others are the Chief Operating Officer, Kirk Leigh; Head of Advertisement, Fadilah Ismail; Head of Stories, Bayo Amodu; and Cees Harmon, General Editor.
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