The Sangarin Shabu, Mahmood Bwallah and indigenes of Nasarawa state have commended African Union (AU) and African Liver Patient Association (ALPA) for the free hepatitis care and treatment ongoing in Shabu community, Lafia.

The African Union, Scientific, Technical and Research Commission (AU-STRC), African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (AU-ASRIC) in partnership with African Liver Patient Association (ALPA) is offering free hepatitis treatment to Nasarawa state indigenes.

The free hepatitis test and treatment is a pilot phase project holding from December 6 till 16 and targeted at over 3000 beneficiaries.

The royal father gave his support and blessings while receiving a team of AUSTRC officials and experts from Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital (ELRIAH) in his palace on Thursday in Shabu, Lafia.

In his address, the monarch poured encomiums on the team for the timely hepatitis intervention geared towards bringing development to the community.

“ I want to commend the AU and ALPA for bringing such a laudable project to my community, this is a great initiative.

“Thank you for prioritizing the health of my people, I also appreciate the efforts and support of the state government for this community.

“You have my support and that of my people; we will cooperate with you to achieve your aim,’’ he said.

Some beneficiaries, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews, stated that an hepatitis intervention of such magnitude was the first of its kind in Nasarawa state.

A resident of Shabu and a beneficiary of the hepatitis free testing and treatment, Audu Muhammad, thanked the partners, AU and ALPA for the free hepatitis treatment and sensitization.

“ For the past interventions I have witnessed, it is usually not more than a day but this is the very first time we as a community and state are benefitting from a 10 day intervention.

“ From day 1 till now, everything is free, we are very grateful for this kind of intervention because we could never have been able to afford the cost of hepatitis treatment,’’ he said.

Another beneficiary, Rukayya Audu, stated that she has lived in Nasarawa for 48 years and never has she witnessed nor benefitted from such a huge project.

Audu who travelled from Akwanga to Shabu for the test noted that as an indigene of Nasarawa state, this was first of its kind in the community.

“ I heard from a friend that there is a free hepatitis test and treatment so I travelled down and decided to partake of it.

“ The past hepatitis interventions are usually for just a day but this is lasting for 10 whole days with everything free, this is huge.

“ I am extremely grateful, May God bless everyone who made this possible,’’ she said.

Amos Bage, a banker in Lafia town said all of the beneficiaries could never afford hepatitis treatments if it was not for the sponsorship which made the treatment totally free.

Bage who said he saw the information on his family whatsApp group added that he was grateful for the free hepatitis treatments.

A couple, Mr and Mrs Ado Musa, who came from Nasarawa Toto, both said they heard the information about the free testing and treatment on radio.

“I and my wife heard about the hepatitis outreach on radio one day while I was driving to work,’’ Mr Musa said.

“I thought it was a scam until a friend confirmed it to me. I have benefitted from the free test and free drugs.

“We have called some of my friends suffering from hepatitis and some family members from keffi, jos and even our in-laws from Kaduna to come and benefit,’’ they said.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, has vowed to tackle telecommunication operators failing to provide quality service experience to consumers.

He also pledged that transparency would form the bedrock of his leadership as Nigeria’s chief telecom regulator, enabling a solid foundation for building a resilient, accountable, and efficient institution.

Maida recently spoke during a courtesy visit to the Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, in Abuja while briefing the Minister on his activities, vision, and strategy since the assumption of office in October 2023.

“Transparency is critical. It is by transparency that we can self-regulate even as regulators.

“And by so doing, we would be putting ourselves on our toes, which in the long run will drive the Commission forward to achieve our operational excellence goals,” Maida stated.

He commended the Minister for leading by example and for transparency in his leadership style.

“Honourable Minister, sir, one of the principles you have shown as a leader is transparency in all your activities, and I must say that it is an attribute that has the potential to bring about a transformed industry that is accountable to both the people and the industry players,” he said.

Through the Minister, the NCC boss conveyed his appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding him worthy of leading a critical sector of the economy.

The EVC told the Minister that the visit is crucial, allowing him to share his vision and priorities for the Commission with the Minister. Maida also said that these priorities were in tandem with delivering on the 5-Pillars of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the Minister.

“I have been on this seat for about six weeks, and it has afforded me the privilege of a bird’s eye view to understand things better and identify areas we urgently need to work on.

“We are conducting an in-depth study and critical review of issues within the industry. One area we prioritize is Quality of Experience,” Maida told the Minister.

“At my meeting with industry leaders, we were unambiguous that quality of experience (QoE) will not be negotiable. The Commission will take compliance seriously, and a standard of what is least acceptable will be set,” the NCC CEO stated.

Maida told the Minister that broadband connectivity is another priority area for him, which he considers the biggest enabler of the digital economy and financial inclusion. He noted that these align with the 5-pillar agenda of the Ministry.

The NCC CEO also reflected on the need to maximize the potential of innovations in some technological evolutions, such as the 5G revolution, to create more industry opportunities and further boost connectivity.

He informed the Minister that a review of internal processes at the Commission is ongoing to engender efficiency and responsiveness of the Commission, including the digitization of most of our operations.

“Under my leadership, the Commission will give priorities to the improvement of our regulatory activities. With this, we hope to see more investors enter Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, with the attendant creation of vertical businesses and increased Foreign Direct Investments, revenue generation, and employment”, Maida stated.

The EVC also said, “In all these, the goal is for the Commission to achieve optimal operational excellence, which underpins the success of all other priority areas that we have set to achieve a significant all-round growth of the telecommunications industry”.

Maida equally recalled his visit to the Digital Bridge Institute in Lagos, where he met an institution with vast potential that would be an asset in driving a knowledge-based economy, in line with the “Knowledge Pillar” of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the Minister.

“Consequently, we will be prioritizing the revamp, retooling, and redirection of the Institute towards extracting its optimum value in line with our objectives,” the EVC said.

Dr Tijani, who warmly welcomed the NCC boss, acknowledged the importance and relevance of the telecom regulator in achieving the nation’s digital aspiration.

“The NCC is a stellar agency, and you have my respect for your work. There is no future for the country without the NCC. Already, your quality is good; what we need to do now is tap into this quality to bring about greater value for the country,” Tijani said.

The leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, said they are excited about Nigeria’s impressive performance at the ongoing International Telecommunications Union, ITU’s World Radio Communications, WRC, Conference 2023.

The event is held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and two Nigerians have already been elected into leadership positions, while some other delegates from the Commission were elected into Working Groups.

Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, speaking on the sidelines of WRC 2023 in Dubai, announced that the Director of Spectrum Administration at NCC, Engineer Abraham Oshadami, has been elected Vice Chairman of the ITU’s Radiocommunication Advisory Group (RAG); while the Acting General Manager and Project Manager, Navigation Project Office, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, Dr. Lasisi Salami Lawal was elected Vice Chairman of the ITU-R Study Group Four (Satellite Services). Some other members of the NCC delegation were elected into the WRC 2023 Working Groups.

While congratulating the successful delegates, Maida commended the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, who led Nigeria’s delegation to WRC 2023, for “providing guidance, leadership, encouragement and support to the Nigerian delegation at the conference.”

The WRC Conference brings together the global community to agree on using the world’s finite spectrum resources, the electromagnetic waves that provide connectivity for our day-to-day technologies.

Maida expressed delight at the outcome of the elections, stating that the roles of the Nigerian elected delegates would enhance Nigeria’s global standing in the telecom space and ensure that the country’s interests and goals are more aptly aligned with global best practices.

“I am excited about the election of two of our colleagues, Engr. Oshadami and Dr. Lawal are vice chairs of the key study groups. It is an honour for the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited to have produced these two intellectuals as global radiocommunication leaders.

“Their positions will also ensure that our interests and goals aptly align with global best practices, especially as we work towards attaining the target set by the National Broadband Plan,” he said.

He further charged them to live up to the huge expectations the global radiocommunication community has placed on them by electing them into the roles.

He also reflected deeply on the presence of the Honourable Minister at the event as a major booster for the delegation and a strong indication of the Federal Government’s commitment to the delegation’s participation at the WRC-23.

The NCC boss also used his presence at the event to engage with the ITU’s leadership and other leaders in the global telecom industry.

He held meetings with the Secretary General of the ITU, Mrs Doreen Borden-Martin, as well as the Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Mr John Omo, during which he shared his vision and priorities for the Commission, as well as potential areas of collaboration and increased Nigerian participation in the two unions.

Maida also met with directors at the ITU, including the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), Dr.Cosmas Zavazava; Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR), Mr. Mario Maniewicz and the Director of the Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB), Mr. Seizo Onoe,

One of the meetings was also with his UAE counterpart – the Director General of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), H. E. Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, where they shared their perspectives on effective regulation.