Major Shakeup in Nigerian Communications Commission and Other Agencies: A New Era Begins.
President Bola Tinubu announced a major reshuffle in key positions within the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. The most notable change was the removal of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Danbatta, and the appointment of Aminu Maida to replace him.
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Aminu Maida, prior to his appointment, served as the Executive Director of Technology and Operations at Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems PLC. His impressive professional journey also included roles at Cisco as Solutions Architect/Senior Manager and at ARCA Payments Company Ltd as CTO/Co-Founder. Maida holds a doctorate degree in Signal Processing from the University of Bath, making him a well-qualified addition to the NCC leadership.
The sudden removal of Danbatta, who had been reappointed for a second five-year term in July 2020, came as a surprise to many in the ICT sector. He had approximately two more years to complete his tenure, making this change an unexpected development.
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In addition to the NCC changes, the President also terminated the appointment of the recently appointed Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Tukur Mohammed Lawal, who took the role in December 2022 after the retirement of Dr. Abimbola Alale. Nkechi Egerton-Idehen was announced as the successor to Lawal.
Another significant change occurred at the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), as the Postmaster General/CEO, Hon. Adepoju Adeyemi Sunday, was relieved of his appointment. Tola Odeyemi has been appointed as the new Postmaster General/CEO to lead the organization.
However, not all changes were removals, as President Tinubu renewed the appointments of several agency heads, emphasizing the importance of continuity in certain roles. One of these renewals included the head of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), DG/CEO Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, who was asked to continue his role.
Additionally, the appointment of Dr. Vincent Olatunji as National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) was renewed, maintaining a consistent leadership structure within the organization.
Vanguard attempted to seek responses from the affected officers in these agencies but was unable to obtain their comments at this time.
This significant shake-up in key leadership positions within these agencies reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to leveraging Nigeria’s technological and digital economic potential to drive the nation’s economy towards greater financial inclusion. The coming months will likely bring further insights into the new directions and strategies these leaders will bring to their respective roles.
