The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has disclosed that the agency does not seek to regulate telecoms business, but regulate Information Technology for development.
The agency’s spokesperson, Mrs Hadiza Umar explained that as a result, telecommunications operators would be excluded from the NITDA Bill currently being debated at the National Assembly.
Umar better clarified this position in an interview with journalists while reacting to the telecommunications operators’ agitation, seeking exclusion from the regulation under the planned NITDA Bill.
The NITDA bill seeks to introduce a licensing regime for operators in the Information Technology Industry and Digital Economy. The Bill empowers the Agency to issue regulations that provide for licensing and authorisation criteria, including renewal, suspension, and revocation conditions to promote free market operation and competition, among other things within the sector, Deal Solicitor explained.
Under the proposed regime, the Agency will register operators in the Information Technology Industry and Digital Economy, and publish such a register.
She disclosed that NITDA only regulates information technology for development and does not intend to regulate telecommunications operators.
It was reported that telecommunications operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) had kicked against their inclusion in the regulation by the NITDA Bill and asked the National Assembly to exclude them from any regulatory powers that will be given to NITDA through the new bill.
ALTON posited that the bill, if passed, will duplicate the regulatory activities of the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Umar said: “NITDA does not seek to regulate telecoms business, rather, we regulate Information Technology for development. The only place in the Bill that involves telcos is the payment of the National Information Technology Development Fund. Our Head of Legal and Board matters, Barr. Emmanuel Edet has confirmed that they will be excluded”.
