Danbatta visits computer village: NCC to sign MoU With association

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria, (CAPDAN), for improved collaboration.

This followed Professor Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC’s visit to the Computer Village in Lagos.

The Comission said it is ready to partner with CAPDAN, in order to translate into reality the relevant provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.

A deluge of members of CAPDAN, led by Adeniyi Ahmed Ojikutu, the Association’s president, enthusiastically came out to receive Danbatta and his team who came on a courtesy visit to what has been described as Nigeria’s equivalent of Silicon Valley and Bangalore, ICT hub of the United States and India respectively.

Danbatta later told select representatives of the Association at a meeting that in keeping with the spirit of item 5 of the 8-Point Agenda of NCC Management, a new frontier of collaborative and strategic partnership has opened between NCC, CAPDAN and all CAPDAN affiliates all over Nigeria, beginning with an MOU which details will be worked out shortly.

Earlier in May 2017, a delegation from CAPDAN was received at NCC by Mr. Sunday Dare, the Commission’s Executive Commissioner Shareholder Management, and many issues of seminal benefits to the Nigerian economy were discussed. Among these was the imperative of special partnership to arrest the challenge of proliferation of substandard devices because of their implication for poor quality of telecom services.

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Also discussed at the meeting in May was the need to halt the rise in tempo of cloning of IMEI numbers – a unique 15 digit code which every phone or Mobile Broadband Device has.

The Association had also requested at that meeting in May 2017, for a visit by top Management of NCC to Computer Village. Today’s visit by a delegation from NCC led by its EVC/CEO underscores the reiterated commitment by NCC to partner CAPDAN as a strategic stakeholder in the telecom ecosystem. But Danbatta proceeded to declare that NCC is irrevocably committed to the implementation of all issues agreed upon at the Abuja meeting of May 9, 2017. He stated that this commitment will commence with capacity building for members of the Association as solicited.

The EVC NCC stated that the Digital Bridge Institute (a training institution set up by NCC in 2004) with its multi-campus status is sufficiently equipped to offer requisite training to CAPDAN members. He informed his hosts that the National Board for Technical Education has approved a number of courses at the Institute, including a National Innovation Diploma Programme.

Earlier, ojikutu had told Danbatta that what takes place daily at the Village transcends selling of mobile devices, but includes amazing technical and innovative activities such as refurbishment of ware, software development, and demonstration of potential for the manufacturing of devices. Ojikutu later presented Danbatta with a symbolic gift in appreciation of the visit, and he also took him and his team on a tour of sections of the Village.