Connect with us

Business

NCC Releases Code For Telecoms Industry

Published

on

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has in Lagos, released the Code of Corporate Governance for the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry.
In the code, which was made available on the NCC’s website yesterday, the commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Eugene Juwah, said that the provisions of the code were based on international best practices.
Juwah said that the code sought to foster good corporate governance practices in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
According to him, it is now common knowledge that enthronement of good corporate governance standards and practices in organisations encourage corporate success and business sustainability.
“The need to develop a sector specific Corporate Governance Code for the Nigerian Telecommunication Industry is necessary to address the peculiarities of the sector that are not typically dealt with under broadly-aimed codes.
“This is more so in view of the fact that the telecommunications sector, though, dominated by privately-held companies, is of strategic importance to the economy at a macro level.
“It also has considerable impact at the micro level.
“As the telecommunications industry’s regulator, NCC, in keeping with our core values proactively undertook industry-wide consultations with a view to determining the industry’s corporate governance needs,” he said.
Juwah said that the commission conducted wide consultations to determine the best approach to adopt in addressing the issue of corporate governance in the sector.
“Thus the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector Corporate Governance Working Group (CGWG), with membership drawn from across the Nigerian telecommunications sector.
“It includes, the NCC and Corporate Governance Consultants/Experts that were inaugurated on October 24, 2012 by our Executive Commissioner/Stakeholder Management, Mr Okechukwu Itanyi.
“The CGWG developed this Code of Corporate Governance for the Telecommunications Industry,” he said.
Juwah said that the code was a voluntary code of leading practices aimed at regulating corporate behaviour and practices of companies within the industry.
Juwah said it was expected that the code would create a credible industry in which every stakeholder would have confidence, foster the growth and development of the industry, and the larger national economy.
According to him, corporate governance in our emerging economy is driven by the need to develop a system of control which aims at increasing shareholders value and surpassing the expectations of other stakeholders.
He said that corporate governance culture adopted by companies had positive or negative impact on their growth and development.
According to him, it is also a critical deciding factor in the success or failure of the companies.
“The consultative approach adopted in developing this code is unique and offers opportunity for acceptability of the code by the board and management of various telecommunication companies.
“It is our sincere hope that this code will achieve the desired objectives and bring about positive changes in the corporate governance practices of the telecommunications industry,” Juwah said.

Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

on

Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

on

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

on

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
Continue Reading

Trending