By Angeline Mgbele, Senior Correspondent, Abuja

The trove of garlands for the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, expanded again  with the reception of the “Leadership Excellence and Economic Impact Award”.

This is according to a statement, to which Cyber Era NG is privy, that was signed by the Director of Public Affairs(DPA) at NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde.

Presently, the honour came from the African Leadership Organisation (ALO), publishers of The African Leadership Magazine.

The conferment of the award occurred recently at the ALO’s annual Africa Legislative, Legal and Good Governance Conference which took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja, where ALO rallied stakeholders to its conference focused on “Policy, Justice and Global Cooperation for Building Back Better”. The ALO organised the event in collaboration with the National Bar Association (NBA) of the United States of America.

Africa Leadership Organisation was unequivocal that Danbatta was deserving of the award because of his outstanding achievements as the Chief Telecom Regulator in Nigeria, especially over the past five years, during which the country’s telecom sector had shown spectacular landmarks. These concrete, measurable signposts, according to ALO,  included the successful auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band marked for the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) networks, and the uncommon regulatory strides of his in continually creating a level-playing field for investors especially to reflate telecom-induced growth of the economy in the post-pandemic era.

Presenting the award to Prof. Danbatta, the Chairman, ALO, Dr. Ken Giami, emphasised that in keeping with the ALO’s tradition of celebrating African excellence and achievement, it had continued to showcase the bright sides of the continent’s success stories by giving recognition to deserving individuals. Giami was emphatic that one of the individuals, whose efforts had been instrumental to the growth of the Nigerian economy, was Prof. Danbatta.

“Danbatta’s visionary contribution to the society is making our communities better place for all and his contribution continues to shape Africa’s socio-economic growth and development. Danbatta has exemplified resilience, determination, and commitment in business and policy landscapes despite the diverse challenges on the continent. This is why we are recognising him today as an icon of leadership,” Giami said leaving no one in doubt on the significance of the Award.

Reiterating the objective of ALO, Giami asserted that, at the heart of ALO’s founding philosophy was the passion for the progress of the continent, all Africans and people of African descent. He stated that the Organisation’s philosophy explained  its tireless showcasing of opportunities in Africa and African excellence to the global community.

Receiving the award on behalf of Danbatta, a Deputy Director at the Legal and Regulatory Services Department of NCC, Chizwa Whyte, appreciated ALO for the award and stated that the NCC considered it another encouraging milestone to do more in regulating the nation’s telecommunications sector. Whyte equally commended ALO for the recognition of the excellent leadership offered by the NCC Boss in taking the telecoms industry in Nigeria to a higher level of significance and relevance.

“This recognition is a clarion call to us to do more for the industry by ensuring good policies and regulatory initiatives are emplaced to ensure the Federal Government’s policy direction on digital economy is achieved,” Whyte said.

The African Leadership Organisation has committed the last 14 years to promoting good governance and impactful leadership on the Continent, and promoting African opportunities and African dignity globally.  The objective of ALO is being achieved through the promotion of Afrocentric and reputation-boosting contents, the facilitation of African trade and market entry solutions across communities and business networking platforms, as well as through public sector training and consulting.