Governor, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, has called on the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to support his administration’s quest to boost digital inclusion in Katsina.
As the NCC is a strategic government agency which contributes to the country’s economic development and prosperity, there is the need for the Katsina State Government to forge a mutual partnership with it, Radda said.
The governor spoke when he paid an official visit to the corporate headquarters of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, in Abuja, on Thursday.
Governor Radda, who was received by the NCC management led by the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, said his administration is committed to maximizing the potential of the global digital economy for Katsina, and its accelerated development.
He said that plans are already in the pipeline to convert the Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management to a full-fledged University of Technology.
He noted that digital economy has transformed the lives of young Nigerians, and other youths across the world, hence as a government they don’t want to joke with it.
“By the time we convert the Institute to university we shall have a pool of qualified graduates with requisite technology and ICT skills. As such, we are soliciting the NCC support for us to actualize the lofty goal,” he said.
Radda, further explained that the Katsina State Government sometime in October last year, totally removed the Right of Way, RoW, charges as part of boosting digital inclusion in Katsina.
He said: “One of our visions is to entirely digitalize our civil service. So far, we have digitalize revenue collection in Katsina. There is no more cash collection physically. We also created an ICT Directorate to, among other things, manage all the ICT infrastructure of Katsina State”.
The Katsina State Chief Executive, while describing the NCC boss, Dr. Maida, has one of the best brains the state is proud to have, requested the Commission to support the Katsina Government’s in providing internet connectivity at schools, hospitals, and other public facilities across the state.
In his response, Dr. Maida, appreciated the visit of Governor Dikko Radda and his entourage, assuring that their NCC will work with the Katsina State Government to achieve the governor’s Radda’s ICT and digital innovation visions for the state.
“We thank you for leading the way on reviewing the Right of Way, RoW, charges. And because of that alone, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, without even consulting, has selected Katsina to be among the pilot states of our Broadband Alliance, a multi-stakeholder platform for boosting internet connectivity and broadband infrastructure in the country,” he said.
