The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has identified
multiple-taxation as major obstacle militating against sustainable development
of telecom industry in the country just as it promised to make transparency the
bedrock of its regulatory activities.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said transparency
will enable the industry to build a solid foundation for building a resilient,
accountable and efficient institution.
Maida spoke during a courtesy visit to the Minister of
Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani in Abuja while
briefing the minister on his activities, vision, and strategy since the
assumption office in October 2023.
"Transparency is key. It is by transparency that we can
self-regulate even as regulators. And by so doing, we would be putting
ourselves on our toes, which in the long run will drive the Commission forward
to achieve our goals of operational excellence,” Maida stated.
He commended the minister for leading by example in
transparency in his leadership style.
"Minister sir, one of the principles you have shown as a
leader is transparency in all your activities and I must say that it is an
attribute that has the potential to bring about a transformed industry that is
accountable to both the people and the industry players," he said.
The NCC boss conveyed his appreciation to President Bola Tinubu
for finding him worthy of the responsibility to lead a critical sector of the
economy.
The EVC told the minister that the visit is a crucial as it gave
him the opportunity to share with the minister, his vision and priorities for
the Commission. Maida also said that these priorities were in tandem with
delivering on the five-Pillars of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the minister.
“I have been on this seat for about six weeks, and it has
afforded me the privilege of a bird’s eye view to understand things better, and
identify areas that we urgently need to work on. We are currently carrying out
an in-depth study and critical review of issues within the industry. One of the
areas we are placing priority on is Quality of Experience," Maida told the
Minister.
"At my meeting with industry leaders, we were
unambiguous that quality of experience (QoE) will not be negotiable. The
Commission will take compliance in this regard seriously, and a standard of
what is least acceptable will be set,” Maida stated.
Maida told the minister that another priority area for him is
broadband connectivity, which he considers as the biggest enabler of the
digital economy and financial inclusion. He noted that these align with the
five-pillar agenda of the Ministry.
The NCC CEO also reflected on the need to maximise the
potentials of innovations in some technological evolutions such as the 5G
revolution in order to create more opportunities within the industry and
further boost connectivity.
He informed the Minister that a review of internal processes
at the Commission is ongoing to engender efficiency and responsiveness of the
Commission, including the digitization of most of our operations.
“Under my leadership,
the Commission will give priorities to the improvement of our regulatory
activities. With this, we hope to see more investors come into the
telecommunications industry in Nigeria, with the attendant creation of vertical
businesses and increased Foreign Direct Investments, revenue generation, and
employment", Maida stated.
The EVC also said that “In all these, the goal is for the
Commission to achieve optimal operational excellence which underpins the
success of all other priority areas that we have set in order to achieve a
significant all-round growth of the telecommunications industry".
Maida equally recalled his visit to the Digital Bridge
Institute in Lagos, where he met an institution with vast potentials that would
be an asset in driving a knowledge-based economy, in line with the “Knowledge
Pillar” of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the minister.
"Consequently, we will be prioritizing the revamp,
retooling, and redirection of the Institute towards extracting its optimum
value in line with our objectives,” the EVC said.
Dr. Tijani, who warmly welcomed the NCC boss, acknowledged
the importance and relevance of the telecom regulator in achieving the nation's
digital aspiration.
“The NCC is a stellar
agency, and you have my respect for the work that you do. There is no future
for the country without the NCC. Already, the quality you have is good; what we
need to do now is to tap into this quality to bring about greater value for the
country,” Tijani said.
“I want to assure you
that you have the best partner in me. We will work together to achieve the goals
and vision we have set,” the Minister assured the NCC CEO.
Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at NCC, Adewolu
Adeleke, who identified multiple-taxation as a clog on the wheel of the industry,
spoke at the Regional Stakeholders Workshop on Multiple Taxation and
Regulations, in Kano.
The theme of the conference was: “Navigating the Landscape of
Multiple Taxation and Regulations, Fostering Sustainable Growth through
Collaboration”.
Represented by Efosa Idehen, Director Compliance, Monitoring
and Enforcement of the commission, Adeleke said multiple taxation and
regulations were impacting on the growth of telecoms infrastructure on which
all other infrastructure making up digital economy depended.
“This is not referring to legitimate taxes imposed by
appropriate authorities following necessary due processes, but the many
irregular, often duplicated and sometimes hastily posed taxes and charges which
some agencies pursue for short-term revenue gains neglecting the greater
long-term impacts of their actions on investor confidence, the socio-economic
wellbeing of our people and overall national economic growth,” he said.
He said some states and local government agencies imposed
such taxes and regulations without appropriate legal backing, adding that it
affected the industry’s output in general.
“Multiple taxation and regulations imposed on infrastructure
maintenance, environmental impact charges, waste collection charges in addition
to value added tax and sales tax being paid simultaneously add to the cost of
services enjoyed by the consumers,” he said.
He advocated for proactive measures to proffer lasting
solution to the problem of multiple taxation and regulations.
“I am, therefore, pleased to note that one of the most
pivotal actions taken by President Bola Tinubu, upon assuming office, was the
establishment of Presidential Tax Reform Committee.
“We have presented our recommendations to the committee, and
we are confident that it will make necessary recommendations to conclusively
address the various dimensions of the problem of multiple taxations and
regulation.
“In our view, prioritizing comprehensive tax reform will
unlock the full potential of the Nigerian economy.
“These reforms should aim to simplify the tax system,
eliminate redundancies, and promote transparency.
“Government at all levels must collaborate to create an
harmonised tax structure that foster economic growth rather than stifling it,”
he said.
The NCC Commissioner stressed the need for speedy deployment
of new infrastructure and the seamless operations of existing ones to achieve
90 per cent broadband penetration by 2027 in the country.
“To illustrate, the industry experienced over 35,000 fiber
cuts in 2022 and over 24,000 fiber cuts so far in 2023. Similarly, over N14
billion has been spent on repairing damaged fiber.
“In the same vein there has been over 18,000 denial of access
cases recorded in 2022 and over 6,000 cases so far in 2023.
“Statistics of this nature cannot encourage anyone to invest.
So we all owe it a duty to tackle this menace once and for all.”
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