The Senate, in Abuja yesterday , confirmed the appointment of Dr. Aminu Maida, as the substantive Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Aminu Maida was confirmed by the Senate during its plenary session where it adopted a report of the Senate Committee on Communications that screened Maida on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications, and former Minister of Communications, Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, who submitted the report, urged the Senate to consider the request of President Bola Tinubu for the confirmation of Maida for appointment as the country’s chief telecom regulator.

He said the Committee had screened Maida, who had earlier passed all scrutiny by the relevant security agencies in the security governance sector.

Maida told the committee that his top priorities are to improve coverage and connectivity by bridging access gaps between rural and urban communities through increased broadband infrastructure as well as increasing the quality service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) for the consumers to enable them to get value for money.

He also stated that, under his stewardship, he would ensure that the Commission’s licensees numbering over 8,000 across different segments of the sector, are made to adhere strictly to their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with their consumers in terms of service delivery.

Maida also said that he would create a more conducive environment for investment in the sector.

Maida also promised to work with the dynamic team at the NCC to “re-think” how the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) would be better leveraged to bridge the extant digital divide in the country.