The National Institute of Security Studies (NISS) has commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for its giant strides in advancing the course of digital economy development in Nigeria.
NISS’s Director of Research Estimates and Library Services, Dr. Adegboyega Karim gave the commendation when his team visited the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta at the NCC’s Head Office in Abuja recently.
The Institute was on a fact-finding mission to enrich ongoing research that focuses on globalization and regional integration for sustainable development in Africa, and also to engage the NCC to advance strategic collaboration that would enhance the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) towards improving national security.
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Karim led to the Commission a team delegation of Executive Intelligence Management Course Sixteen Participants (EIM16), a study group with representations from various security agencies under the auspices of NISS, typically senior officers in security agencies, including the military, police, intelligence services, and other relevant agencies.
He noted that NCC’s regulatory processes provide a good opportunity for the collaboration to enable the group to research further into matters regarding telecommunications and national security.
Director, Special Duties of the Commission, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, who received the team on behalf of Danbatta, affirmed the readiness of the Commission to collaborate with the Institute, and, indeed, any private and public institution that is focused on national development.
Reiterating on the advancements made in ICTs, Adinde said it is within this context that the Commission continued to promote the deployment of robust digital infrastructure capable of supporting and improving the security of lives and property.
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“As a way of consolidating on the tremendous successes that had been recorded in the telecoms industry through effective regulatory regime emplaced by the Commission, the Federal Government has formulated a number of policies such as the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), among others, which serve as a compass for our efforts at building a resilient digital economy that supports security,” he said.
Adinde enlightened the visiting delegation on NCC’s efforts towards ensuring adequate protection for telecoms facilities, across the nooks and crannies of the country where it is treated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), the building of Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as series of collaborations with relevant agencies to ensure effective connectivity to individuals and institutions.