The forum was a workshop organised to keep Nigerian
journalists who specialise in reporting on the telecom and ICT sector, abreast
of emerging developments in the telecom industry, in order to ensure the
general public receives contextual, interpretive and illuminating reporting on
telecom matters.
The journalists, who attended the workshop under the aegis
of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA), Abuja
Chapter, revelled in the opportunity provided by NCC to glean emerging trends
and topical regulatory issues in the telecom industry.
The workshop was part of NCC’s commitment to encouraging the
continuous professional development of journalists because the Commission sees
good journalism as central, both to the achievement of its mandate and to the
flourishing of our nation’s democratic project.
The training programme featured intense sessions focused on
understanding the renewal the Commission has brought to bear on many major
industry issues, including International Termination Rate (ITR) for voice
services, benefits of the National Identity Number/Subscriber Identity Module
linkage (NIN-SIM integration), the menace of illegal use of GSM boosters,
updates on Fifth Generation (5G) deployment plan, spectrum administration, as
well as compliance monitoring and enforcement, and other emergent regulatory
matters.
Speaking at the workshop, which also featured special focus
group discussions facilitated by subject-matter experts and senior officials of
the Commission from selected departments of the Commission, the Executive Vice
Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said approval for the training was
granted by Management as it is in tandem with the Commission’s media relations
and stakeholder engagement strategy.
“Given the dynamic nature of the digital space and its
impact on the economy, we believe this demands that our media partners are
brought up to speed with the current requirements for maximum productivity and
effective reporting of the telecom industry,” Danbatta, who was represented by
the Director, Public Affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, asserted to justify the
relevance of the workshop.
The EVC said, through capacity-building initiatives such as
the workshop organised for professionals in the media industry, “we would build
multually-beneficial relationships for sustained media support as we continue
to discharge our mandate of regulating this dynamic sector for the benefit of
Nigerians and the economy as a whole.”
Accordingly, Danbatta said NITRA is a long-standing
strategic partner of the Commission and the knowledge empowerment programme
through this workshop seeks to provide a platform for equipping stakeholders in
the media with the knowledge and skillsets they require for effective,
efficient and professional reporting.
The EVC, who commended the media stakeholders for their
support over the years, said, without the support from journalists and other
communication professionals, NCC would not have been able to deliver on its
mandate as effectively as it has done over the years. Accordingly, Danbatta
enjoined all members of NITRA to continue to support NCC’s programmes,
activities, and initiatives with the same enthusiasm with which they have been
prioritising timely, adequate and accurate reportage of the nation’s telecom
sector to enhance Nigeria’s growth and development.
Danbatta also stated that the National Digital Economy
Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, the Nigerian National Broadband Plan
(NNBP) 2020-2025, the NCC Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024, the
creation of a Digital Economy Department in the Commission, among others,
underscored the policy directions of the Federal Government which the NCC is
diligently driving by working with relevant industry stakeholders, including
the media, to deepen commitment to a digital Nigeria.
“So, it is expected that by empowering the media as our key
stakeholders, they would be willing to ensure that members of public are
accurately and adequately informed and are aware of the Commission’s regulatory
strides toward building a robust digital economy for our country,” the EVC
said.
Speaking on behalf of members of NITRA after the training,
the Chairman NITRA, Abuja Chapter, Blessing Olaifa, commended the Commission
for providing a platform for sensitisation of media stakeholders on
contemporary matters within the Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
ecosystem, particularly the telecom industry and especially the initiatives of
the Commission in protecting telecom’s consumers.
Olaifa, who was represented by NITRA’s Secretary-General,
Emmanuel Elebeke, applauded the Commission for consistently supporting and
partnering with the media organization. Olaifa stated that this demonstrates
how transparent and accessible NCC has been to its stakeholders.
“We must commend NCC for its regulatory strides over the
years. The success of the 5G auction in December last year easily comes to mind
as one of the recent achievements of the Commission, among several others. So,
this capacity-building programmes will help to provide a collaborative
partnership for an advanced digital economy and towards boosting the fortunes
of ICT for development in Nigeria. Today, we have been thoroughly enlightened
as better specialists in ICT journalism,” Olaifa said.
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