CommTech Minister, House Cmttee chair for IG4D’12CommTech Minister, House Cmttee chair for IG4D’12

The duo of Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson and chairman, House Committee on Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Hon. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau have confirmed participation in the two-day forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) being organized by DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA).

The event which commences tomorrow, Thursday, March 8 through 9, according to the Executive Director, Operations, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, would be presided over by chief executive officer, PiNet Informatics, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, who is currently a council member, Generic Name Supporting Organisation (GNSO), at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

She also that the event is expected to record a high attendance of high-profile within the nation’s ICT including the mother of the Internet community in the country, and former director, Information Technology at the Ministry of Information and Communications and currently the permanent secretary, Ministry of Power, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, with a keynote on the theme: “Internet Governance and Mobile Economy in Nigeria” to be given by the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah.

The stage, he said, is ready to welcome participants at the event as she received both calls and letters confirming the attendance of some key industry personalities including the president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu and his counterpart at the Association of Licensed Telecomm Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Mrs. Mary Uduma to name a few.

This, she said, is in addition to confirmed participation of country manager, Microsoft West Africa, Mr. Emmanuel Onyeje, Director, New Media and Information Security at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Sylvanus Ehikioya.

ITRealms Online recalled that the annual Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa was declared ready at the beginning of this week by the Executive Director, Operations at DigitalSENSE Africa, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke.

She also gave the assurance that “we are set for this year’s Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum on Internet Governance for Development.”

Equally she said that this year’s edition scheduled to hold at the Golden Gate Paradise, March 8-9 in Lagos, where as the Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, youthful social media activist, Japheth Omojuwa and chief executive of Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Mr. Muhammed Rudman among others.

Additionally, the vice president of Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Mr. Sunday Folayan, she said, would preside over the interactive session.

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Broadband availability, penetration dear to NCC – Juwah

ATCON president, Omo-Ettu, EVC, NCC, Juuwah & Itanyi

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, has declared that the broadband availability and penetration in the country is very dear to the Commission under his leadership.

He made this remark at a working meeting on broadband expansion initiative by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) held at NCC boardroom, Abuja on Wednesday.

He also told the meeting that Let me heartily welcome you to this business meeting and to thank the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, (ATCON), under the distinguished leadership of Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu, with the support of his team, for this initiative.

He said that the Commission considers the meeting as very vital, hence it strikes at the very heart of NCC aspiration to continuously consult with the key stakeholders in taking regulatory decisions and actions.

He recalled that it is one of the key areas that we have indicated to focus on, in the next few years.

“You may be aware that we have taken various steps towards actualizing the broadband dream,” he said, stressing that NCC has articulated a strategy for the implementation of the Broadband Master Plan based on infrastructure sharing.

Additionally, he said, NCC has developed a model based on ‘Open Access’ in which the role of the Network Operator is distinct from those of the Service Providers.

Juwah explained that under in this arrangement, the network provider offers access to the service providers on a non-discriminatory basis in a competitively neutral environment.

While the service providers, alongside the corporations and institutions, as well as the public are allowed to access services in line with their needs.

“Underlining these models and strategies are issues of availability, affordability, stimulation of demands for services, attraction of investments, creation of more employment opportunities, penetration of services to the nooks and crannies of the country, improving governance and energizing the economy,” he said.

So, he said, NCC has shared notes with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), on these strategies and models and the global telecom regulator has been quite supportive.

“We want to ensure that our strategies and models tally with global standards for sustained growth while addressing a peculiar local environment,” Juwah said.

NCC, EVC said, would soon embark on an industry-wide consultations on all issues related to broadband plans for the country as he enjoined ATCON to participate fully during the process.

He, therefore solicited for collaboration and support of ATCON which has shown commitment to the growth and development of the industry for the benefit of the country and its citizenry.

Remmy Nweke
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NITEL ‘Guided Liquidation’: ATCON cautions FG on FNO

The president of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu has advised the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) to be wary of the First National Operator (FNO) license in custody of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) which is in the process of ‘guided liquidation.’

 

ITRealms Online recalls that a few days ago, the Federal Government had proclaimed that NITEL could be disposed under the ‘guided liquidation’ tag, which is expected to make for an easy seal to its potential final destination.

Although in the past, several attempts were made to sale NITEL, these attempts were not successful, ATCON insisted that the First National Operator (FNO) license in custody of NITEL is worth some $2.2 billion, about

Reacting to the recent pronouncement by the Federal Government, ATCON leadership argued that whatever is the meaning of ‘guided liquidation!’ should be explained to Nigerians.

Speaking through its president, ATCON noted earlier call for an Auction of the First National Operator (FNO) license which NITEL is holding while the winding up process continue to navigate its ways that is exactly what government has now done.

As said by him, any liquidation at all, is a technical matter, hence, he refused to claim verse in this particular ‘guided liquidation’ theory.

“I am not versed in the subject so I do not want to let that vocabulary stow into my thought process,” he declared.

Omo-Ettu maintained that he had since 2009 switched off all thoughts about NITEL when he considered that the final end came for the company.

He stressed that he had previously valuated the license that NITEL was holding and came up with a figure which hovered around $2.2billion.

“I did not keep it to myself. I called a press conference and explained the explainable part of the valuation and how it would guide us in knowing what the country stood to gain, or loose, if such estimation was required to guide a decision,” he said.

However, he said that if by ‘guided liquidation’ is meant a process of resting the corporate name called NITEL and doing the best to recoup whatever is left of the whole project called NITEL, then, there may not be readily alternatives.

“I think there is really no other choice than to do just that. Except that it is coming three years late. It may then mean that my position in 2009 synchs with what has now been announced,” he said.

Further, he advised whoever is implementing the ‘guided liquidation’ to take cognizance of the company they are liquidating as it still has in custody the First National Operator License.

Remmy Nweke

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