The Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Chief Idris Olorunnimbe, has charged the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to urgently prioritise the zero-rating of educational websites, describing it as a high-impact intervention that can immediately widen access to learning resources for millions of Nigerians.
“If we are serious about inclusive growth, then access to learning materials cannot remain a privilege,” the NCC Chairman said. “ALTON must lead on practical steps like zero-rating credible educational platforms so that students and teachers, regardless of location or income, can learn without the barrier of data costs.”
Chief Olorunnimbe gave the charge when ALTON, led by its Chairman, Engineer Gbenga Adebayo, paid a courtesy visit to him at the Ikoyi Office of the Commission.
The meeting, which focused on strengthening collaboration for the growth of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, also highlighted the industry’s role in national development priorities, particularly expanding digital inclusion and human capital development.
“This is about ensuring that no child is left behind in the digital age,” he added. “It aligns squarely with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda on inclusive, quality education, and it is a clear area where telecom operators can make an immediate, measurable difference.”
Underscoring the significance of the sector, Chief Olorunnimbe described telecommunications as the central nervous system of the economy, noting that when networks fail, it leads to significant disruption key economic drivers areas such as commerce, education, healthcare and governance.
Without compromising on the objectives of fairness, accountability and integrity, he renewed the pledge of the NCC to the visiting delegation to provide and drive growth describing the regulator – operator relationship as that of ‘partners in progress.’
Chief Olorunnimbe also reaffirmed the independence of the Commission, stating that regulatory decisions would continue to be guided by national interest and institutional integrity.
According to him, enforcement of the Critical National Infrastructure designation must be strengthened, insisting that accountability for infrastructure damage should be non-negotiable.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Engineer Adebayo, Chairman, ALTON congratulated the chairman on his appointment assuring him of working on his charge on zero-rating digital educational platforms among other salient contributions. He noted the significance of such a move in nation-building promising to rally members of the association behind the idea after due deliberation and engagements.
The ALTON leadership commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his policy reforms noting that Nigerians are seeing the result of some of the reforms. According to him, the forex reforms for instance, has helped restored stability and investor confidence within the ecosystems.
Adebayo also lauded the NCC for their pivotal role in resolving the N300 billion USSD debt owned by banks. He said, “The USSD debt crisis accumulated over four years to nearly ₦300 billion and posed systemic risks to the telecoms and digital financial ecosystem.
“However, through regulatory intervention, the system was migrated to end-user billing and the outstanding debt was eliminated, converting what was a looming crisis into a sustainable framework,” Adebayo said.
