The Minister of the Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Ali Ibrahim Pantami, yesterday reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to reverse the trend of importation of all types of telecommunications products, especially where production in Nigeria is possible.
Pantami, who spoke at the first indigenous telecom content expo at the Landmark Center in Lagos, got an immediate commendation from the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, who told the audience that the minister’s efforts and support has spurred the commission to take certain steps that have yielded immediate results that were being showcased the expo. Pantami said the government had put efforts towards the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the GDP, by insisting on a drastic reduction in the reliance on foreign products. A statement by the NCC’s Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka, quoted the minister as warning against the importation of such products as SIM Cards that can be produced in Nigeria.
He also took a swipe at the recent efforts to impose 5 per cent Excise Duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria, arguing that the ministry which oversees the industry was not consulted and that the timing of such duty in a period of hardship is being witnessed in Nigeria today is antithetical to the growth of the industry.