NCC Generated Over N1.4trn In 3 Months – Danbatta

The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) generated over N1.4 trillion in its operations in the first quarter of 2016, the telecom regulatory body has said.

This information was disclosed by the executive vice chairman of the commission, Umar Danbatta, while paying a visit to the governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, in Kano on Wednesday.

According to Dambatta the realised funds was part of the commission’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Multiple taxation, coupled with obstruction of right of way for development in states of the federation has been identified as the major challenge militating against the growth and development of telecom service providers in the country,” he added.

Danbatta further urged the Kano governor to mobilize his counterparts in the north to fashion out modalities of a downward review of the multiple taxation imposed on telecommunication industries in Nigeria.

He noted that his mission to the northern state is to inform the state government on the resolution of the National Economic Council (NEC) on multiple taxation, levies and charges on ICT infrastructure in Nigeria to which all state Governors accented to.

He urged other states to follow the footsteps of Lagos State, as the state has already commenced full scale implementation of the provisions of these recommendations.

Danbatta emphasized that the resolution has fashioned out ways of addressing problems of multiple taxation and levies, including obstacles to right of way in which NCC observed that most agencies of state governments are either unaware or have failed to implement the provisions of NEC documents in their scheme of planning, implementation and service delivery.

He noted that formation impediments have made it difficult for service providers to deliver efficient services to their numerous subscribers, thus denying over 40 million people service delivery.

Danbatta explained that the set objectives will not be achieved without the support and partnership of the state governors.

The executive vice chairman, also pointed out that the issue of achieving broadband penetration will benefit the state governments, as it will enhance revenue generation in states.

“Apart from providing home to the Zonal office of the Commission for the entire Northern part of the country in the last two decades, Kano is also host to one of the three major campuses of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), a human capacity building institute established by the NCC in 2005,” Danbatta said.

He described Nigeria as one of the fastest growing nations in the communication sector in the world.

“Today more than 78 million people in Nigeria have access to the Internet. And we are all witnesses to the level of growth of the use and application of the social media and Internet-related products and services”.