The Executive Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Danbatta has announced that over 154 million Nigerians are now active subscribers to the General System on Mobile Communications (GSM).

Professor Umar Danbatta, who spoke today, Friday at the NCC Day in the ongoing Enugu International Trade Fair, said that the country’s social media space had continued to thrive.

Represented by the Head of Public Relations of the South East zonal office of the Commission, Mr. Rueben Mouka, Professor Umar Dambatta said that internet penetration of about 90 million subscribers in the country.

“This has brought the nation to more than 110 per cent teledensity. With broadband penetration of 21 per cent, Nigeria’s social media space has continued to thrive and our citizens are enjoying access to modern ways of interactions in cyberspace.”

He said that the commission would continue to keep the nation abreast of developments in telecommunications industry through innovative and world class regulatory processes.

He regretted the activities of local and state authorities in the South East who deny telecommunication companies the right of way in the task of providing services.

“We still notice a lot of challenges confronting the provision of services in this part of the country.

“Issues of vandalisation of telecommunications equipment still abound. We call on the appropriate authorities to note that it amounts to denial of our citizens rights to communications when we obstruct services.

“There are some individuals who still believe that telecom masts and towers constitute health hazards to humans.”

The World Health Organization has affirmed that no result of any such hazard has been established against base stations,” he said.

Danabatta said that anyone that adduced such reasons to deny right of way to telecom companies and prevented them from expanding services was contributing to the poor quality of service in the network.

He said that the issue of consumer empowerment and protection aimed at protecting consumers from unfair practices occupied a prominent place in the 8-point agenda of the commission.

He said that the commission had dedicated 2017 for the resolution of complaints of consumers as a complement to their consumer parliament sessions and outreach programmes.

“We have all mandated our zonal offices to take the messages down to the grassroots through a new interactive programme called ‘NCC Conversation’,” Danbatta said.

In a remark, the President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Mr Ugochukwu Chime, said that the commission needed to do more in its regulatory operations.

Chime said that in spite of the laudable achievements of the commission, “Yet, there remains a lot more that needs to be done to fully tap the potentials in this sector.”

NAN. [myad]

Court recognized national chairman of the embattled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff and former President Goodluck Jonathan clashed today, Thursday at a peace meeting convened by Jonathan.

Modu Sheriff, apparently angry with the former President over the way he handled the meeting, which was had about four PDP governors in attendance, including the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin and other notable chieftains, stormed out of the venue of the meeting.

Modu Sheriff had earlier arrived at the Yar‘Adua Centre, venue of the meeting long after Jonathan, the governors and other prominent party chiefs had settled down and insisted that as the most senior member of the party, it was him (Sheriff) that should have convened such meeting.

Modu Sheriff further infuriated when ex President Jonathan denied him the opportunity to address the meeting in his capacity as the national chairman of the party.

Speaking to news men shortly after he stormed out of the meeting with his team, Modu Sheriff said that he would not be party to any arrangement that seemed to deviate from the recommendation of the Dickson committee.

“We were here for PDP stakeholders’ meeting and the PDP has only one national chairman, which is Ali Modu-Sheriff. There is no PDP meeting that will take place under whatever arrangement that I will not open the session as national chairman. Today, I am the most senior member of this party.

“I think Governor Dickson made a proposal for reconciliation. And we have accepted. Some people want to deviate from this programme, to bring agenda which was not part of it.

“And as national chairman of the party, what I have told you people in my office when Dickson brought the report is the only thing that we have agreed at this moment. And I will not be party for anybody using me to do another programme. I’m not going to be part of it.”

According to him, Jonathan should not have called the meeting without consulting him.

“Well, I respect him but calling for the meeting. He is a former President. But as of today, I am the most senior member of the party.

“Therefore, if I respect him, the respect must be reciprocated. You can’t call me for a meeting of PDP and say I cannot address the meeting as national chairman of the party.” [myad]

Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has expressed confidence that the President will soon change the nation’s economy far better than he met it.

Adesina said that the ongoing efforts to diversify the economy will yield positive results, contrary to previous years of unfulfilled promises dashed and experimentation.

The Presidential spokesman, who received a delegation of National Association of Nigerian Students led by its Grand Patron, Ambassador Eze N. Ebere, Adesina, said that President Buhari’s commitment is more than a mantra.

He is sure that the reality will soon become evident to all Nigerians even as he said that the vision to diversify the economy has taken more than forty years, with many missed opportunities.

According to Adesina, President Buhari would go beyond the rhetoric to cut down dependence on a single commodity, adding that the President has been concerned about the volatility of oil prices in the international market and many years of shock to the Nigerian economy that had resulted in slowed development.

“Nigeria succeeded in making itself a mono-economy over the years due to over dependence on oil, and President Buhari is determined to ensure that it will no longer remain the same.

“The President has already launched an economic recovery plan, with a strong emphasis on diversification through agriculture and mines exploration.”

The Presidential spokesman said that the President’s purposeful drive, single-mindedness and simplicity in approaching issues will put an end to more than forty years of trying to break the jinx of a mono-economy.

Earlier, Ambassador Ebere had conveyed Nigerian students commendation of the President’s courage in fighting corruption and winning the war against insurgency in the North East.

The students’ grand patron said that Nigerian students have been praying for the well being of the President and would continue to do so.

Ebere and his delegation presented an award to Adesina for his contribution to journalism, commitment to informing Nigerians about the President’s vision and activities, and consistent expression of optimism about a new Nigeria. [myad]

“At 65, you still brim with energy, dynamism and vibrancy while your mind continues to bubble with ideas ever so useful for national development. There is no doubt that you still have a lot to contribute to the country as our party continues to grapple with the Herculean challenge of remedying the grievous damage it inherited in virtually all sectors and laying the foundation for the realization of Nigeria’s immense but trapped potentials.”

These were the words of the former Lagos State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) national stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Asiwaju Tinubu congratulated the immediate-past governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as he turned 65.

In a letter that was personally signed by Tinubu, the APC national leader said that Oshiomhole has attained an “impossible-to-ignore status of eminence” in the country.

“My dear Comrade,

It is a great pleasure for my family and I to join your teeming admirers and well-wishers to rejoice and thank God with you on the commemoration of your 65th birthday on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.

“Your journey on this terrestrial sphere so far has been a truly remarkable and inspiring one. Surely, you are not to be counted among those who were lucky either to be born great or to have greatness thrust on their laps on a platter of gold. Rather, you have attained an impossible-to-ignore status of eminence in our immensely blessed country in your three scores and a half years through sheer determination, perseverance, resilience, commitment, discipline, focus and hard work.

“From the shop floor of the textile industry, you pulled yourself up by the bootstraps and through consistent courage, integrity and fidelity to truth as well as the best interest of Nigerian workers, you rose through the ranks to establish yourself as easily the most outstanding national labour leader of contemporary times. Your successful trajectory from trade unionism to party politics is indeed a unique one, made more notable by your emergence as elected governor of Edo State.

“I most certainly speak the minds of millions of members of our great party when I say that your outstanding performance as two-term governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016 remains a reference point and a source of pride to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Apart from skilfully steering the ship of state and charting the course for Edo, the ‘heartbeat of the nation’ for eight years, you demonstrated your innate leadership endowment by identifying, nurturing and handing over to a worthy and capable successor well placed to take Edo to greater heights from where you stopped.

“It is my prayer that God Almighty will continue to bless you with good health, divine wisdom and long life as you dedicate yourself anew to the cause of service to Nigeria, Africa and humanity.

“As my family and I wish you a very happy and fulfilled 65th birthday, I am confident that the best for you is surely yet to come.” [myad]

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has advised non-career Nigeria Ambassadors designate to convince foreign investors to engage in direct investment in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), especially in waste management.

The minister, who spoke when he received the Ambassadors-designate in his office in Abuja stressed that Abuja city provides one of the best economic opportunities for big businesses and that the waste management sub-sector has enormous potentials that can be harnessed.

The Minister advised the Ambassadors designate that whichever country they are posted to, they should always promote and project to their host nations, various investment opportunities in Nigeria, especially the huge business prospects in waste management in the FCT.

Muhammad Bello said that the presence of good infrastructure as well as the relative peace and security in the Territory combined with its massive population, will make Abuja a preferred destination for investors to do business and reap huge benefits.

“One area that we want you to consider as you discuss Abuja with your host nations is the area of waste management. For those of you that are in Europe, we understand there is a lot of funding for green projects of such nature. These are areas that the we would be very interested in.”

Muhammad Bello emphasized that apart from the advantage of its huge population and location, the Territory is well connected to Europe through a number of air carriers that fly in and out of Abuja on a daily basis as well as a number of other West African countries.

The Minister said that although the Lots 3 and 1A of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit is well funded by the Chinese EXIM Bank, opportunities still exists in the Lot 2, Lot 4 and 5 of the on-going the Rail system.

“We have what we call the Abuja Rail Mass Transit System which is under construction on the basis of six Lots. Already, Lots 1A and 3 are being funded by the Chinese Exim Bank and hopefully that would be completed by the first quarter of next year. But there is opportunity for the Lots 2, 4, 5 and 6. So, these are some of the areas that when you get fully settled, we may be able to communicate with you on some of these issues.”

Earlier, the leader of the delegation and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye said that the purpose of their visit is to find out some of the potentials in the FCT in terms of the economic and investment opportunities.

Ambassador Enikanolaiye said that the FCT Administration could assist the new envoys on how to project and promote the priorities of government, particularly, those in the FCT.  [myad]