Maida confirmed as NCC boss, vows to bridge access gap

Following his confirmation as the substantive executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, has promised to improve coverage and connectivity by bridging access gaps between rural and urban communities.

He said this would be achieved through increased broadband infrastructure, as well as increasing the quality service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) for consumers to enable them get value for their money.

The Senate had on Thursday in Abuja confirmed the appointment of Maida during its plenary session, where it adopted a report of the Senate Committee on Communications that screened Maida on November 15, 2023.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications and former Minister of Communications, Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, who submitted the report, urged the Senate to consider the request of President Bola Tinubu for the confirmation of Maida for appointment as the country’s chief telecom regulator.

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He said the committee had screened Maida, who had earlier passed all scrutiny by the relevant security agencies in the security governance sector.

Bilbis informed the Senate that Maida possessed the requisite qualifications, professional experience, competence and regulatory capacity to ensure accelerated development of the country’s telecommunication sector.

Consequently, the Senate proceeded to confirm the appointment of Dr Maida through a voice vote.

He would serve a five-year term in office, subject to renewal by the president.

Earlier while responding to questions during the screening, Maida said his top priorities would be to improve coverage and connectivity, thereby deepening internet penetration and communication services across the country.

He also stated that under his stewardship he would ensure that the commission’s licensees, numbering over 8,000 across different segments of the sector, are made to adhere strictly to their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with their consumers in terms of service delivery.

Maida also said he would create a more conducive environment for investment in the sector.

Maida, who was appointed on October 11, 2023, holds an MEng in Information System Engineering from Imperial College, London in 2002, and in 2006, he bagged a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath, United Kingdom.

Between 2018 and 2019, Maida completed a postgraduate diploma in Entrepreneurship (FinTech Pathway) programme at the Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Until his latest appointment by the president, Maida was the executive director, Technology and Operations at Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), the country’s central switch company owned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and all licensed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria.