There’s need for regulatory framework for emerging technologies — NCC

By ADEDEJI ADEYEMI FAKOREDE

TELECOMMUNICATIONS sector has transited from first generation cellular networks to third and more recently fourth generation networks (which largely ride on Internet Protocol) in various parts of the world.

This evolution has involved shifts from the use of visual signals such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded drumbeats, lung-blown horns to telegraphs, telephones as well as the use of the orbiting satellites and the Internet.

The emergence of these new technologies has its side effect like the encouragement cybercrime and corruption to a large extent hence the need for a regulatory framework to monitor its operation.

Speaking when he received the rector of Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), Provost of the Academy, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, in his office in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, noted the need for regulation for these new technologies.

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The NCC boss revealed the commission’s willingness to collaborate with the academy to root out corruption which is currently eating deep into the fibres of the society, especially those committed through the telecommunication technologies.

He said: “We shall collaborate with the academy in order to transmit these processes and to ensure that our processes are devoid of corruption in all ramifications we shall cooperate with you in all the ways that you advise to make sure that all the processes that we put in place are credible and therefore this process are transparent to make them credible and devoid of corruption tendencies.

“By way of expansion the idea emerging technologies dictate that we come up with legal and regulatory framework to deal with the emergence of new technologies and as I’ m talking to you now there are ICT platforms that we are having to contend with they are out there and you know their use and being overused and unfortunately we were not able to regulate those platforms. So we take cognizance of these developments and even developments that we think will come in the future and at the same time take proactive steps with a way of regulating such developments as it is very important as people in public discuss will happen and it is important for the regulator.

“So, it is the face of technology advancement that the regulator must contend with that they are safe and so continually so commission is confronting with this dynamism and we must be ready to expand with the expansion of corruption.”

Listing some of its interventions, Danbatta said the commission provides services to communities that are underserved, in terms of communication technologies, from time to time.

“Your projects are good, here at the NCC we embarked on various kinds of intervention projects so it is what we do including our regulatory aspect we also from time to time intervene through the provision of projects in the communication technologies through communities that are not served services and not just regulatory that we do. I have said that we are ready to cooperate with whatever proposals that you have to deal with elements of potential internal corruption if we know areas that are susceptible to identify these weak links in the administrative process and try to target them to strengthen those process to make them devoid of corruption tendencies,” he said.

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Earlier, Prof. Akinrinade said the courtesy call was part of the academy’s aim to enter strategic partnerships with other government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in order to build pockets of resistance to corruption in the country in various areas and build leadership for the anticorruption work.

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Giving a run-down of the academy’s establishment and activities, the ACAN boss said the academy was established as training school for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Commission to train their own staff, adding that it became necessary to address lager issues and what the academy was originally set up to do because of the broad nature of the war against corruption.

“The academy today has been expanded to cover other issues previously not on the agenda of the training school that it is being transformed from ICPC training school to Anti-corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), looking at the work of similar academies in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Austria. All these are agencies that have been set up in other countries; we are just trying to model ourselves to frontally tackle corruption passionately.

He further said that the academy has trained 1726 candidates last year, saying the institution which blossomed into an academy in 2014 has been able to engage with critical sectors of the economy, the tertiary sector like the Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, adding that it also engaged the Universal Basic Education System (UBEC) which is the gate way to the education sector of the country.

“We have also engaged with the local government service commission and aviation sectors these are critical sectors of the economy and the Anti-corruption units in the various agencies of the MDAs, so the kind of impact that we are making can be measured not just by the number of people that we have trained but also in the critical sectors in the various sectors,” he stated.