Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has commended the pivotal role of the former Chairman, Board of Commissioners of the Commission, late Alhaji Ahmed Joda in the GSM revolution.
Danbatta, in a condolence letter on Friday, described the demise of Joda, who died on Friday 13th of August, 2021 at the age of 91, as an irreparable loss to the entire nation.
“Our thoughts and sympathy are with the entire family at this grieving period, while we pray for his soul to continue to rest in perfect peace. May the Almighty Allah grant him Jannatul firdaus and also give the entire family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. Please accept our most heartfelt condolences,” he said in the letter.
Danbatta said the Commission will remember the legacy and foundation Joda laid as the Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission for a decade, and “how he led in setting the tone for the exponential growth in telecommunications service provision in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”
Extolling the deceased’s virtues, Danbatta observed that Joda was “a nation builder, a consummate statesman, an administrator per excellence, a dedicated philanthropist, an egalitarian patriot, a fountain of inspiration, an honest and hardworking person during his lifetime.
According to Danbatta, late Joda “will, indeed, be remembered by all Nigerians, particularly the staff of the Commission and the people of Adamawa State.”
Born in Yola in 1930, Alhaji Joda, was a retired Federal Permanent Secretary, who served as the Chairman, Board of Commissioners of NCC for 10 years, commencing from 2001 when the commercial launch of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) service started in Nigeria.
The Board, under Joda’s 10 years chairmanship, set the tone and foundation for the digital revolution in Nigeria, which has positioned the sector as a major contributor and enabler to overall socio-economic and political transformation in the country till date.
Late Joda was recipient of multiple national and international honours and other prestigious awards, recognizing his outstanding performance and contribution to the development of Nigeria.