The Chairman Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, has commended the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami for his leadership and support to the sector.
ALTON made this known during a meeting of the Ministerial Task force on NIN/SIM linkage exercise. He reaffirmed that the sector had never enjoyed the level of support and direction which has resulted to unprecedented developments in the sector. He further noted that “the progress being recorded in the sector is purely as a result of the Minister’s uncommon proactive approach to issues and his unique problem-solving skills”
Also lending credence to the assertion, the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya disclosed that the operator was able to obtain a Right of Way (RoW) in the FCT Municipality within 48 hours. This he said, was purely uncharted territory and highly commendable. “I am highly encouraged by the level of collaboration between the public and private sector, particularly in the Digital Economy sector as driven by Dr Pantami”.
Similarly, the CEO of 9Mobile Mr. Alan Sinfield, in his commendation noted that the “very active leadership and support of Dr Pantami and especially in his approval of Network Operators as enrolment agents for the National Identification Number which has increased the turnout for compliance by over 40%”.
The virtual meeting, which was at the behest of the Minister to review the progress and challenges of the current NIN/SIM registration and linkage exercise, had in attendance industry operators and regulators.