By Nifemi Adefemi
(With Agency Reports)

Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has stated that the review of the NCC Act 2003, said NCC has concluded on the first and second draft of the review and has submitted same to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani for approval, before the final draft would be released.

The review was to clearly to clearly differentiate the regulatory roles of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) from the Information Technology (IT) policy development and implementation roles of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

“The Nigerian Communication Act is currently being reviewed. The first and second draft has been concluded and the final draft will soon be released. The second draft has been made available to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani. We had to review the NCC Act to ensure that all areas of conflicts and overlaps can be addressed so that NITDA and |NCC can co-exist without friction of roles,” Danbatta explained at the Telecom Executives and Regulators Forum (TERF) in Lagos recently.

The NCC Act 2003, which was signed into law by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo on July 8, 2003, empowers NCC as a regulator to create a regulatory framework for the Nigerian Communications industry and to promote the implementation of national telecommunications policy.

The NCC Act is however being reviewed, following the proposed NITDA Bill that was sent to the ninth Assembly some months ago, which seeks to convert NITDA from a development agency to a regulatory agency.  

The bill seeks to enact an Act that will empower NITDA to provide for the administration, implementation and regulation of Information Technology Systems and Practice in Nigeria, which will automatically convert NITDA from a development agency to a regulatory agency in a sector where there is an existing regulator.