By – Our Correspondent
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida has called on Attorneys-General across the country to collaborate with the commission in drafting a comprehensive legal framework that supports Nigeria’s digital transformation and safeguard telecom infrastructure.
Dr. Maida made the call in Lagos earlier in the week at an inaugural Annual Workshop for Attorneys-General on emerging issues in the communication sector.
The NCC EVC stated that the pace of change in the communications industry demands coordinated action between regulators and legal authorities.
Themed “Building and Driving Synergy in Regulating Communications for the Digital Transformation of Nigeria”, the workshop aims to foster strategic engagement between the NCC and legal officers in the federation. He commended the Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN for participation, describing his support as vital to ensuring coherent policy implementation.
The NCC EVC described communications industry as driver of innovation, governance, commerce and social inclusion. Adding that to sustain growth and accountability, the sector requires robust legal frameworks that can respond to it’s evolving dynamics. He appealed to the Attorneys-General in the states to use their positions as chief legal advisers to promote policies that enhance transparency and operational stability.
Dr. Maida further reviewed the history of communications regulations in Nigeria, from the liberalisation of the sector in the early 2000s to contemporary concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, digital inclusion and cyber resilience. He said “the proactive, collaborative regulation is key to unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Some of the issues raised at the event were the need to update the Nigerian Communications Act 2003. The EVC said the Act must evolve to accommodate the current and future technological shifts, particularly those relating to broadband access, data governance and emerging technologies.
Dr. Maida also drewed the attention of the workshop participants to the burden of multiple and inconsistent taxes on telecommunications service providers, describing such practices as disincentives to investment. He called for the harmonisation of tax regime to encourage sectoral growth and efficiency.
Referring to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2024 Executive Order that designates Communications Infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, the EVC stressed the urgency of safeguarding digital assets. He also appealed for inter-agency cooperation, especially with the Office of the National Security Adviser, to bring the order into effect.
In his keynote address at the workshop, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN noted that digital transformation is critical to improvement in socio-economic development of a nation, adding that a well regulated communication sector implies enacting and implementing laws; and regulations that ensure protection of rights, including rights to privacy, data protection and consumer rights as well as regulation that supports the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
The AGF further called on the Attorneys-General to commit to working together with the NCC and relevant stakeholders to deliver on the vision of a transformed communications sector, for enhanced socio-economic development of our nation,” he averred.
