Telecom
ATCON Regrets External Interference, Impact On NCC Independence
Association of telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has warned against the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) being robbed of the independence contrary to the spirit and letters of Telecoms Act 2003.
Engineer Lanre Ajayi, ATCON’s President, raised the eyebrows in a speech presented during the Association’s meeting with NCC management in Abuja recently.
Ajayi recalled that Decree 75 of 1992 deregulated the telecoms industr led to the emergence of some private telecoms companies but it did not lead to remarkable growth of the telecoms industry.
He said that significant growth commenced after the enactment of Telecoms Act 2003 which granted NCC independence that kept its operation away from political interference.
“The immediate result,” he said, “was a transparent auction of the GSM spectrum contrary to the earlier practice of issuing out license based on patronage.
“The independence of NCC has led to an unimaginable transformation of the sector.
“Regrettably, in recent times, NCC is being robbed of the independence contrary to the spirit and letters of Telecoms Act 2003. This became more manifest when the issue of MTN fine arose, as some other organs of Government virtually took over the responsibility of NCC. We consider this trend omniuos and call on NCC to take charge of its responsibilities and exert its power as guaranteed under the law.
While expressing appreciation to the management of NCC for creating the opportunity for ATCON delegation to pay this visit, Ajayi barred the Association’s mind on some issues in the industry nagging for attention including broadband plan (&implementation), National Critical Infrastructure, and MTN fine.
On Broadband plan, he said, “We have noticed with regret the poor implemnetation of the National Broadband plan. The plan which aims to increase broadband penetration in Nigeria from 6% in 2013 to 30% in 2018 has only been able to increase penetration to 10% in 2016. We noticed that most of the timelines are not met and there is general poor supervision of the plan implementation. We call for the strengtheining of the National Broadband Council and an accelerated action on the implementation of the plan.
“National Critical Infrastructure – We are delighted by the recent passage and signing into law the cybersecurity act, which takes into consideration the issue of protection of National Critical Infrastructure which ATCON has been clamouring for. We however noticed the non implementation of the Act, which is supposeed to commence with the inauguration of the National Cybersecurity council. We call for immediate inaguration of this council and an accelerated implementation of the Act to protect the investment of members and facilitate improvement in the quality of service of telecoms services in Nigeria
“MTN Fine – We would like to use this opportunity to express our concern about the handling of the fine given to MTN in respect of non compliance to regulation on SIM card registration. We would like to remind the commssion that the idea of introducing SIM card registration emanated from ATCON and was resisted by many when we sugested it. The regulation on SIM card registration may not have seen the light of the day if not for the persistent campagin by our then President, Dr Emmanuel Ekwuwem, who saw its importance in the prevention of national security breaches. We therefore believe we have a better understanding of the purpose of SIM card registration regulation and have moral right to intervene when the regulation is to be used for the pupose it was not intended for”.
He said that the Association has been campagning for the introduction of SIM card registration, “it was not our intention for it to be used to raise fund for Government. It was not our intention to use it as a tool to kill telecoms opertors and it was not our intention to create a tool that can be used to destroy our industry.
“Our singular intention was to protect the environment where we do business even if it means initial loss of business to telecoms operators as a result of its potential to slow down uptake of telephone services by customers. We have watched with regret the poor handling of the issue, the politicisation, remarks based on emotion and not on the objectives of the fine”.
He argued that while some see it as an opprtunity to make quick money by offering all sorts of services, legal, lobbyist etc., some politicians and public officers see it as an opportunity to show off the importance of their offices without an iota of consideration for the purpose of the fine and the impact its mishandling can have on the Telecoms industry and the Nigeria economy at large.
“For the avoidance of doubt ATCON does not tolerate unprofessional conduct and disrespect for rules. As a demonstration of this, we recently launched our code of ethics and we are determined to sanction erring members. Equally we have no objection to the use of fine as tool to ensure compliance to regulations but when an unanticipated scenario emanates where fines computes to an humongous amount that is capable of inflicting damages on the industry and country arises, it is only wise that the nation act in self-interest by seeking a review that ensures that the purpose of the fine, which is to act as deterrent to breaches of rules, is served while an inadvertent self-infliction is avoided.
“We are of the opinion that MTN has suffered sufficient losses: loss of reputation, loss of market value, loss of revenue and have learnt their lessons. We are of the opinion that the fine should be reviewed downward to a figure not more than their profit for one year. This should be enough to serve as deterrent for future breaches while ensuring that they are kept in business to provide Nigerians services that we badly needed at this stage of our development. Our plea for leniency is based on our conviction that the breach was not done with a criminal intention to injure our national security but by share act of negligence. Our approach would have been different if otherwise proven.
“At this point, we would like to advise that all politicians and public officers who are not of NCC and who seems to have abandoned their core jobs to focus on this MTN fine to please allow the NCC, who is charged with the responsibility of regulating the industry, to handle the matter professionally and in the best interest of the nation. The fact that NCC presently has no Commissioners’ (Board) is no excuse for others agencies and individuals to usurp their roles as it well known that in the absence of the board, the Honorable Minister acts as the board. Non NCC public officers should intervene only on invitation by NCC,” Ajayi said.
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.
L-R: Head Special Projects, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Salamatu Andu; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Engr. Abaraham Oshadame; Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Head Customer Support Service, Galaxy Backbone, Rosemary Ehize; Secretary to the ES. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Tahir Aminu at the BPSR award ceremony for top four MDAs in BPSR Website Performance and Ranking 2025 at the BPSR office on Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
This is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.
In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.
BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure.
Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.
The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).
The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”
While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.
According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.
Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.
“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.
The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.
Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has dismissed reports that bank accounts not linked to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) will be frozen or automatically debited from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele
Oyedele described the claims as false and misleading, warning Nigerians against panic over misinformation surrounding recent tax and financial reforms.
In a post on his X handle Tuesday morning, he wrote: “Don’t let anyone manipulate you. Your bank account is safe. Misinformation makes you panic and fear a reform that is designed to help you.
“When they tell you that your account will be frozen or automatically debited from January 2026, ask them for the evidence in the new law. Be wise.”
He stressed that no provision in the new tax laws authorises the freezing of bank accounts, adding that the rumours are part of widespread misrepresentation of the reforms.
The committee chairman reiterated that the reforms are intended to simplify Nigeria’s tax system and ease the burden on ordinary citizens, not to impose punitive measures on bank customers.
US tech giant, Amazon has disclosed that it blocked more than 1,800 North Koreans from applying for jobs, amid growing concerns that Pyongyang is deploying large numbers of IT workers overseas to earn and launder funds.
Amazon
In a LinkedIn post, Amazon’s Chief Security Officer, Stephen Schmidt, said North Korean nationals have been attempting to secure remote IT roles with companies around the world, particularly in the United States.
He noted that the company recorded nearly a one-third increase in such applications over the past year.
According to Schmidt, many of the applicants operate through so-called “laptop farms” — computers physically located in the US but remotely controlled from abroad.
He warned that the issue is not unique to Amazon and is likely occurring at scale across the tech industry.
He added that common red flags include incorrectly formatted phone numbers and questionable academic credentials.
The issue has previously drawn the attention of US authorities. In July, a woman in Arizona was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for running a laptop farm that helped North Korean IT workers obtain remote jobs at more than 300 US companies.
Officials said the scheme generated over $17 million in revenue for both the woman and North Korea.
Last year, South Korea’s intelligence agency also warned that North Korean operatives were using LinkedIn to pose as recruiters, approaching South Koreans working at defence companies in an attempt to steal sensitive technological information.
“North Korea is actively training cyber personnel and infiltrating key locations worldwide,” Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.
He added that, given Amazon’s business model, the motivation behind such operations is largely economic, with a high likelihood of attempts to steal financial assets.
North Korea’s cyber warfare programme dates back to at least the mid-1990s and has since expanded into a cyber unit of about 6,000 personnel known as Bureau 121, according to a 2020 US military report.
In November, Washington announced sanctions against eight individuals accused of being state-sponsored hackers, alleging their illicit activities were carried out to fund North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
The US Treasury has also accused North Korea-linked cybercriminals of stealing more than $3 billion over the past three years, primarily through cryptocurrency-related crimes.
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