05082020 - Buhari to completely rejig security system —NSA

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For Danbatta, time to lay
telecoms milestone
he ephemerality of time is
Tone mystery that humbles
my understanding of life.
Winks growing into seconds,
seconds into minutes, into
hours and days and so on. All
the time humans are trapped
in the transiency, and so
many suffer the time warp. In
the undulating contour of this
time without end are the
activities and efforts of men,
put on a scale of performance
of success and failure, with
the latter gaining the upper
hand. In our part of the world,
failure is one homogenous
cable that binds the affairs of
men together; like the colour
of the rainbow, you cannot
miss it in the sky.
We sew failure into our
seams and record more
gravestones than mile stones.
The fiery ambitions of young
men and women are beneath
mother earth somewhere in
a very cold and desolate
environment. And time
moves on. Winks into
seconds, seconds into
minutes, into hours, into days
and so on. Only a few break
the odds, they use their heads
to break the stubborn
coconut and record their
achievements in milestones.
In the face of untold
difficulties, we still
remember to sing the praises
of this tiny lot. Nigerians are
a very grateful lot.
This very moment I am
looking at yesterday, to see
how far it has receded from
the present. It doesn’t look so
far away and memories are
like the welcoming green
leaves of the plantain tree.
Let the riddles stop and let
history reveal its secrets. Just
like yesterday, Prof Umar
Garba Danbatta, came to start
a new life at the Nigerian
Communications
Commission (NCC) as the
Executive Vice Chairman
(EVC), far away from the
academia where he had
spent most of his life, to
contribute to the regulatory
successes of the
Commission. August 4,
which was yesterday,
brought a conclusion to his
first five years in office. Today,
he begins another lease, his
tenure having been renewed
by the President in
accordance with the contents
of the Nigerian
Communications Act 2003
which states in Section 8 (4):
Subject to sections 11(3) and
11(4) of this Act, each
Commissioner shall serve for
a term of 5 (five) years from
the date of his appointment
at the expiration of which the
President may renew his term
for a further period of 5 years
and no more.
Prof Danbatta is lucky. His
tenure has been renewed by
the President and this writer
only hopes that someday he
will survive the shenanigans
of those who have no respect
for the laws of the land.
History, sometimes, plays
tricks.
With the opportunity of a
fresh burst of energy assured,
Danbatta is having some
moments of introspection in
order to prepare the way
forward, which I think is the
more difficult job. To use his
words: “Now in the fifth year
of the five-year vision plan, I
can tell you that we have
recorded appreciable
successes under each of the
items (referring to his 8-Point
Agenda). We have increased
broadband penetration to
41.27 per cent as of June 2020
from 5 per cent in 2015,
developed regulatory
framework for broadband
penetration through the
infrastructure companies
(InfraCo) Licences, issued
wireless broadband licences.
For the second agenda, we
have set up Task Force on
Quality of Service and
continue to engage critical
stakeholders to address
industry challenges arising
from right of way issue,
multiple taxations, multiple
regulations and
indiscriminate shutting
down of live base stations.
With respect to item three
(optimize the usage and
benefits of spectrum), the
Commission has encouraged
the re-farming of various
frequencies to improve their
efficiency. Spectrum
monitory has been improved
to ensure sanity in the
industry……We have also
facilitated the listing of telcos
on the Nigerian Stock
Exchange (NSE), we
developed and promoted
compliance with the Code of
Corporate Governance in the
industry from voluntary to
mandatory compliance. We
also developed a framework
for participating in ITU
working groups…… Finally,
we want to ensure speed of
Fifth Generation (5G)
technology to, at least, five
per cent of the population.
Already, the NCC, in
November 2019, pioneered
5G trials, becoming the first
telecoms regulator in West
Africa to proactively begin
such trial towards unleashing
greater digital revelation. We
have also worked with
stakeholders to develop
guidelines on the use of
Television White Space
(TVWS) to extend affordable
broadband penetration to
underserved and unserved
areas.”
This is an abridged version
of that document. I searched
for the MTN fine but it was
not there. It wasn’t so much
the money, N330bn, but the
deft management of the
process which if it went
otherwise was enough to sink
the industry. You may not
fancy this point of view but
that was obviously a very
trying time for the telecoms
sector. I also thought that the
efforts of some state
governors, led by Dr Kayode
Danbatta
needs to pick
a point of
impact as he
launches into
the future.
Fayemi of Ekiti State, in
waving the cost of right of
way (RoW) which was an
annoying impediment for the
pervasive laying of fibre
optics cable across the nation,
needed to have been
properly highlighted in order
to encourage orders to join
their progressive colleagues.
It looks so easy now but not
really. Negotiations with
governors started long ago
but formal results are
emerging under Danbatta.
However, the challenges
ahead are much more than
whatever may have been
observed as achievements.
Technology is mutating every
day, changing shape, form
and usability, influencing an
ever increasing demand in a
market dominated nearly in
equal measure by both the
rich and the poor who have
their eyes set on tools and
packages of convenience in
affordability and service
relevance. Danbatta needs to
pick a point of impact as he
launches into the future. But
he will need to wrestle down
the demons which build
bogey features around big
offices, making it difficult for
even good men and women
to speak truth to power.
One is conversant will all
the stats of achievements in
the industry but having
featured in the sector for
nearly thirty years, you can
permit me a little liberty to
observe that the industry is
at crossroads and needs
urgent intervention from the
regulator. First point of
impact is for Danbatta to
retrieve the regulatory
independence of the
Commission from the
Ministry of Communications
and Digital Economy whose
noticeable intrusiveness is
palpably overbearing and
worrisome to industry
practitioners.
There are so many people
across the nation who are
very concerned about
boosting the fortunes,
reliability and relevance of
our telecommunications
infrastructure. Danbatta has
readily canvassed his
support for InfraCos in
deepening the telecoms
ecosystem. Responding to a
position expressed in this
column recently, a friend
wrote: “Any solution that
leaves out government direct
intervention on the
infrastructure side would in
my view be cosmetic and
palliative in nature. Yes,
government erroneously
believes that telecoms is
much like oil, a natural
resource where you can take
rent without making
investment but that is wrong
headed thinking. People
need to advocate for
government to invest in
infrastructure development
in the sector as that is the only
thing that can unleash the
full potentials of the sector. I
appreciate that because of the
lack of trust in the
government capacity to
deliver infrastructure, it is
toying with alternatives like
using subsidy to tackle that
deficit. But I tell you that will
be wrong as experiences
have shown that such
scheme will only end as
another bazaar for the
anointed and the connected.
We observe what is unfolding
in the guardianship of other
scarce resources that are near
cash only to imagine what
will follow when it is direct
cash distribution. We need to
think outside the box by
developing a near
developmental model that
can deliver the expected
outcome.
The kind of example
developed for the power
sector with the arrangement
with Siemens, without the
skewed and nepotistic abuse,
can be explored if
government is serious and
focused on economic
expansion.”
The NCC should think
outside the box speedily to
ensure that the entire nation
is wired otherwise its dream
for pervasive broadband
penetration will only be a
mirage. Permit to add that
without broadband modern
society will regress to the
Stone Age era. Figures of
penetration should have
more meaning to phone
users.
Danbatta should hold on to
the dream of introducing 5G
but should expand projected
availability beyond five per
cent of the population. He
should also pursue the
elusive quality of service
being provided by the
operators with undiluted
vigour and resist very
strongly the temptation to go
on media celebration at this
time.
As Jack Ma, the founder of
Alibaba, said in an interview
with Charlie Rose at the
World Economic Forum,
Davos in 2015, “You don’t win
the world by talking but
through hard work.” The
NCC needs to work much
harder to enable Nigerians
enjoy a better
telecommunications
industry. Prof Danbatta
should resist the euphoric
lure of the moment and
engage in structured actions
so that the next five years
don’t end in a whimper but
in a bang, a time to build
legacy milestone in the sands
of history.
Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2020 — 23
Obaseki threatened violence not
me — Oshiomhole
•Says I've never relied on violence to win
election
By Clifford Ndujihe
N SPITE of Governor
IGodwin Obaseki’s
alleged threat of violence
on Edo people,
voters will troupe out en
mass on September 19 to
elect the next governor of
the state, immediate past
National Chairman of the
All progressives Congress,
APC, Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole, has said.
On Sunday Governor
Obaseki warned of stiff
penalties against perpetrators
of violence ahead of the
poll and condemned the
July 25 display by thugs at
the gate of the Palace of the
Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku
Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare
II, the Oba of Benin.
Obaseki warned those
intent on disturbing public
peace that he is determined
to carry out his primary responsibility
of maintaining
order and protecting lives
and property as the Chief
Security Officer of the state.
Speaking on Arise Television
programme, on
Monday, Oshiomhole, who
regretted that violence is
now been associated with
Edo, said during his eight
year tenure many peaceful
polls were held in the state
on account of his campaign
for ‘’one man, one vote,’’
adding Edo voters will not
be disuaded by threats of
violence.
According him, in his second
term election during
which he won in the 18 local
councils of the state and
defeated the godfathers of
Edo in their wards ‘’not one
shot was fired. During the
election of Governor
Obaseki, when I was the
sitting governor, not one
shot was fired. My campaign
for one man one vote
dismantled those who use
violence to conduct elections
instead of ballot papers.
I have a track record
which I want to protect.’’
Oshiomhole, who recalled
that his supporters
were shot at recently by
thugs of political opponents,
of which he did not retaliate
‘’because I am someone
who has never relied on
thugs,’’ said: ‘’Before now I
have complained about a
How Jegede ran to Mimiko for reconciliation,
support
Contacted, Mimiko’s
By Dayo Johnson
AKURE—CANDIDATE of
the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, in Ondo State, Mr.
Eyitayo Jegede, yesterday,
visited the immediate past
governor of the state, Dr.
Olusegun Mimiko to solicit
his support for the October 10
election.
His visit is coming years
after they fell apart and
Mimiko defected to the
Labour Party.
Mimiko who allegedly
imposed Jegede on PDP
members during the 2016
governorship election fell out
with Jegede over some
irreconcilable differences.
Jegede was the Attorney
General and Justice
Commissioner under
Mimiko for eight years.
With the emergence of
Mimiko’s Zenith Labour
Party, ZLP, and the movement
of the deputy governor, Mr.
Agboola Ajayi, Jegede
decided to make peace with
his former boss.
Sources in the Ondo
country home of Mimiko
said that Jegede and five
chieftains of the PDP visited
him on Monday evening and
held a closed-door meeting.
A PDP leader
told Vanguard: “Eyitayo has
visited his principal and
benefactor at last but it is
unfortunate that he is just
doing it now after Mimiko’s
Zenith Labour Party had
picked Ajayi as its candidate.
This third force is almost
consuming our party as many
bigwigs across the state are
already dumping the party
unannounced.”
PDP leaders angry with
Jegede
It was, however, gathered
that some PDP leaders are
angry that Jegede went back
“crawling to Mimiko
begging for forgiveness”
*Jegede: PDP candidate
after it was glaring that he is
behind the emergence of the
third force to hit back at him.
A top PDP leader said: “It
is just formality. We know
where Mimiko’s mind is. We
don’t expect anything from
the visit; he just wants to
satisfy some party supporters
who are putting pressure on
him to visit the former
governor and make peace.”
It’s a courtesy visit to my
former boss— Jegede
But, Jegede, in his reaction
to the visit described it as a
courtesy visit to his former
boss. The Head, Media
Research, Eyitayo Jegede
Campaign Organisation,
EJCO, Samuel Fasua said: “I
went to the home of my
former boss, Dr. Olusegun
Mimiko, on a private visit,
not more than a courtesy call;
notwithstanding that we
belong to different political
parties.”
His visit is coming too late-
ZLP leader
A leader of the ZLP
told Vanguard that Jegede’s
reconciliatory moves were
rather too late. It is like
crying when the head is off
the neck/ It is just a waste of
time. The great Iroko has
pitched his tent with another
formidable politician ahead
of the election.”
*Oshiomhole: Former
APC chairman
situation where Obaseki
said I should not come to
Edo, that before I come to
Edo, I must get
permission...I watched a
clip on Channels Television
where the governor said: ‘I
am the governor, between
me and the deputy, we are
the two persons who have
immunity, I will arrest anybody
who does XYZ. I will
arrest him’ He did not say
he will report to the police.
So he is above the law. That
‘if they want violence we
will give them violence.’ A
leader does not talk like
that."
According to Oshiomhole,
Edo people cannot be
cowed by the threat. ''They
will come out en mass to
vote on September 19.''
media aide, John Akinduro
confirmed the visit but
declined to give further
details.
Ajayi’s posters adorn ZLP
secretariat in Ondo
Meanwhile, posters and
banners of Ajayi have
flooded the streets of Akure
and the ZLP Secretariat.
The state chairman of the
party, Mr. Joseph Akinlaja
said he is ready to receive
Ajayi and other new entrants
into the party.
Akinlaja said: “You would
recall my address during our
party primary election that
we are going to run for the
governorship election of
Ondo State and win. After the
party primaries of other
parties, our ZLP has become
the beautiful bride of all
parties. For those coming
including Mr. Ajayi, they are
all welcome into our great
party.”
Ajayi shuns PDP State
congress
The deputy governor, Mr.
Agboola Ajayi was
conspicuously absent at the
state congress of the PDP
held, yesterday, in Akure.
Ajayi’s absence at the
congress confirmed his
defection to ZLP as his aides
and supporters were equally
absent
Only delegates from his
Ese- Odo council area of the
state were seen at the venue
of the congress.
One of his aides confided
in Vanguard that their boss
was away in Abuja to perfect
his defection plan slated for
Thursday and Friday this
week.
Ajayi, according to
findings, will be going to his
Apoi ward in Ese- Odo
tomorrow to resign his
membership of the PDP and
the same time register as a
member of the ZLP.