Telecom
How Professional Executive Assistants Impact Work Culture
By Precious Emechebe
In today’s professional climate, the role of an Executive Assistant (EA) is disruptive. Much so with the availability of advanced technological and organisational tools.
Beyond managing information flow and attending meetings for high-level professionals such as a Chief Experience Officer (CXO), EAs now actively take part in more strategic, supervisory, and authoritative decisions.
To quote The Assist, “Today’s Chief Executives lean on their assistants not just for admin help but also for strategic counsel, technical expertise and critical analysis. EAs are expected to dabble in things as wide and varied as project management, event planning, and internal communications.”
This makes EAs as vital to an organisation’s growth and success as any other high-level professional.
So, what are these roles, their limitations, and their impact? Let’s take a deep dive:
1. EAs as Strategic Partners: EAs have a deep understanding of the industry they work in and the regulatory framework and policies that affect said industry. As a result, they make valid contributions that progress conversations and decisions of their Executives.
2. EAs as Professional Problem Solvers: Impossible is a word that does not exist in the dictionary of an EA. They are super connectors that make connections within and beyond their network. They make the most of their networking activities by keeping records of vital information on acquaintances and are quick to assist when necessary. This helps them earn and maintain lifetime access to influential decision-makers, thereby positively impacting the Executives and organisations they represent.
3. EAs as Trusted Confidants: A professional EA understands that one of the most significant responsibilities of the role is trust. This responsibility stems from working closely with those whose corridors crucial information is shared, and decisions are made regularly. Therefore, trust is an attribute they earn and do not trade for anything.
A professional EA is discreet, unassuming and cautious of the words they speak, as they understand the gravity of their responsibility and the consequences of loose lips.
These said, EAs are and can be more.
As an EA, you must stay committed to the path of personal and professional development. You are expected to take essential courses, join empowering associations to grow your network and influence, and expand your horizon.
This is critical in changing the prevalence of a wrong perception about the EA role limitations. It positions you as an asset to your superiors and your organisation.
Now, in what ways can an EA be an asset to a CXO or other superiors?
We’ll consider these two main factors:
1. The CXO or superior’s willingness to delegate part of their workload to the Executive Assistant: The essence of Executives having EAs is to have more time to focus on optimising strategic thinking and execution.
Melba Duncan, CEO of Duncan Group, in her 2011 Harvard Business Review article titled ‘The Case for Executive Assistants’ stated, “… an EA must make the executive 8% more productive than he or she would be working solo—for instance, the assistant needs to save the executive roughly five hours in a 60-hour workweek.”
Diligent EAs save their bosses much more time than that. As Robert Pozen, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, puts it, “A top-notch assistant is crucial to being productive.”
Progressive-minded CXOs are happy to empower and delegate work to competent EAs with the trust and assurance of professional execution.
Ultimately, an empowered EA can strategically organise and follow up on action items, manage information flow, attend to financial matters, and attend important meetings on their superior’s behalf.
2. The EA’s willingness to stretch beyond their comfort zone to assume new responsibilities: Successful EAs are simply those who don’t compromise on personal development. They are willing to push themselves beyond the rudimentary requirements of their jobs, utilising new languages, relations, and technological skills to function in global markets.
These types of EAs are invaluable assets to their bosses as they become masters in their primary roles, with the capacity and competence to take on new responsibilities.
Such EAs usually score high on emotional intelligence, as they can read their bosses’ shifts in behaviour and temperament, respond correctly, and accommodate their style to help them win.
These attributes endear such EAs to their bosses, who become more comfortable with participating in their growth within and outside the organisation.
To put it succinctly, Executive–Assistant relationships are business partnerships; strong ones are win-wins.
Precious Emechebe is the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
Telecom
MUSON Graduates Shine at 2026 Concert as MTN Foundation Celebrates 20 Years of Music Scholarships
Emeka Nwodike, acting director of the MUSON School of Music, conducted the institution’s graduating class in a grand finale performance, bringing the 2026 graduation concert to a memorable close. The concert took place on July 7 at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
The event celebrated students who successfully completed the MUSON Diploma Programme through the MTN Foundation Scholarship Programme.
The graduating students delivered a rich choral repertoire that reflected the breadth of their musical training, performing Italian Salad by Richard Genee, My Song by Eriks Esenvalds, Obi Dimkpa by Laz Ekwueme, and an ABBA Medley arranged by Goran Bejstam. Under the Acting Director’s baton, the choir demonstrated technical precision, vocal maturity and artistic expression before an audience of family members, music enthusiasts and industry stakeholders.
The concert formed part of the long-running partnership between the MTN Foundation and the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), which has, since 2006, provided scholarships for hundreds of talented young Nigerians to receive formal music education through the MUSON Diploma School. The programme continues to serve as one of the country’s foremost platforms for developing professional musicians and strengthening Nigeria’s creative economy.
Speaking at the close of the concert, Nwodike expressed appreciation to the MTN Foundation for its sustained support of the scholarship programme over the past two decades. He also thanked the Director of the MUSON Centre, faculty members, mentors and other stakeholders whose dedication has contributed to the school’s continued success.
“For nearly 20 years, the MTN Foundation has remained a steadfast partner in our mission to nurture young musical talent. We are deeply grateful for that commitment. I also want to thank the Director of the MUSON Centre, our faculty, mentors and everyone whose dedication has helped the MUSON School of Music continue to grow and thrive. Their support has made this programme what it is today, and our graduates are a testament to that collective effort,” he said.
Court Adjourns Alleged Binance Tax Evasion Case over Settlement Talks
Fixed Wired Internet Market Lags as Mobile Gains Ground
Xenophobic Attacks: OYC Threatens to Picket MTN Nigeria Offices
New NIMC Act Strengthens Data Protection, Privacy – Director
BON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Mobile Internet Gender Gap Widest in Africa – GSMA
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
News2 days agoNRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
News2 days agoNSITF Partners South African Insurer on Digital Transformation
E-Financial2 days agoFCT-IRS Unveils New Digital Platform, Taxporta
General News2 days agoKPMG Urges Africa’s Most Innovative Tech Entrepreneurs to Enter the Global Tech Innovator 2026 Competition
E-Business2 days agoFG Suspends New Internet Regulations to Prevent Overlapping Rules
E-Business2 days agoNIN Enrollment Hits over 136m as New ID Law Takes Effect
E-Business2 days agoPlateau PCC Collects Nigerians’ Data without Privacy Policy – FIJ
General News2 days agoCourt Declares ARCON’s N60Bn Fine against Facebook Nigeria Illegal