• We Are Up To Date On Our Social Licence-Airtel Nigeria Exec

By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief

Telecommunications sector regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has denied a story on an online publication (not Cyber Era NG) credited to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Olusegun Ogunsanya, to the effect that the mobile operating licence of Airtel has been renewed by the Commission for another period of 10 years.  Contrary to this, NCC says Airtel’s license renewal is processing.

A brief statement signed on behalf of the Commission by its Director of Public Affairs(DPA) Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, to which Cyber Era NG is privy, says Mr. Ogunsanya was said to have made the statement while speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, during the media launch of Airtel’s corporate social responsibility programme, ‘Touching Lives 6’.

The statement reads in part: “The Commission wishes to state that while Airtel Nigeria has applied for the renewal of the Unified Access Service (UASL) Licence granted to it by the Commission, the application is yet to be approved as it is still undergoing required regulatory process.

This statement is issued for the guidance of our stakeholders.”

Cyber Era NG immediately reached out to Airtel Nigeria on the regulatory advisory for its official reaction.

Airtel Nigeria’s response titled : Airtel Nigeria Clarifies On License, was inked by its Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, Emeka Oparah.

 It reads: “During the launch of our flagship corporate social responsibility programme titled Airtel Touching Lives, last week, a contrast was drawn between operating license and social license.

Whilst the operating license is issued by NCC, we stated that a social license is earned by what a company does for its communities. We are very proud of our Touching Lives Program which gives support to the less privileged in our communities.

However, for clarity, an operating license is always issued by NCC and our current license expires in November 2021. We have applied to NCC for its renewal ahead of this expiry date and the renewal process is in progress but yet to be concluded.

We look forward to working with our various communities on the 6th edition of our Airtel Touching Lives Programme.”

 In April, 2021, Bharti Airtel announced the appointment of Ogunsanya as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa Plc with effect from October 1, with a transition period from  August 1, 2021.

He has been on the saddle as MD/ CEO of the Nigerian operation of Bharti Airtel, since November 26,2012.

Meanwhile, Airtel Nigeria has announced the appointment of C. Surendran as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria with effect from August 1.

Additionally, Surendran will be appointed to the Executive Committee (ExCo) as Regional Operating Director, reporting to the CEO of Airtel Africa plc, and onto the Board of Airtel Networks (Nigeria) Limited.

Surendran has been with Bharti Airtel since 2003 and has contributed immensely in various roles across customer experience, sales and business operations.

He has over 30 years of business experience, including 15 years at Xerox.