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NCC Urges Synergy With Telecom Operators

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9 years ago

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The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC)  has sought for a working synergy with the mobile network  operators in the country on improvement of services provided to consumers.
The Executive Vice chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta, made this known in a statement  issued on Monday  in Abuja  and signed by the Director, Public  Affairs of NCC Mr Tony Ojobo.
Danbatta said that the commission  is worried by the degenerating  quality of service provided by  Mobile  Network Operators (MNOs) and other  service providers in the country.
The NCC boss declared that 2017 is the year of the consumer, stressing that poor services as provided by the service providers in the sector will necessitate  the commission  to declare a state of emergency on their quality of service.
He added that all hands should be on deck for telecom consumers  to have a fresh lease to high  quality of service, urging the service providers to treat the consumers with dignity.
Danbatta  further  explained that NCC had put measures  in place to  check  and monitor quality of service on various networks in accordance  with the commission’s eight-point    agenda to put the consumer first.
He said that there must be a synergy between the service providers  and the commission interacting regularly  with government  at different levels as part of the measures to deal with the poor  quality of service, adding that network operators and  co-location service operators  should provide  suggestions on how to address the challenges in the telecom sector.
The NCC boss said that  NCC had  appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to make  forex available  to network operators,  stressing that  the appeal to CBN by NCC was part of  measures to cushion the situation  and ameliorate  the recurrent  inaccessibility to foreign  exchange by operators.
However, NCC had listed the  challenges faced by operators to include, Right of Way (ROW), Force Majeure, difficulty in acquiring  new cell sites, multiple  taxation and regulation, vandalism, power  supply, among others.
Also that poor quality of service are witnessed by the consumers in the country due to fibre cut, community related issues stressing that in October  2016, operators experienced 175 cuts,  November 2016  180 fibre cuts and December 2016, 103 fibre acts across.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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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.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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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.
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