The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has been named Vanguard Regulator of the Year 2022.
The former University lecturer was decorated with the award at the prestigious 11th Edition of the Vanguard Personality of the Year Award where men and women who have distinguished themselves as achievers of excellence in their various fields of endeavours were honoured.
According to a statement from Vanguard Newspaper Limited, the organizers of the event, the award was conferred on Danbatta in recognition of his effective regulatory achievements through cutting-edge initiatives, especially during his first five years in office.
“Danbatta’s initiatives strengthened the role of the telecommunications sector as a major contributor to the growth of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as telecoms investment inflows from $36 billion in 2015 to over $70 billion,” the statement reads.
Danbatta also spearheaded a campaign to improve Nigeria’s broadband penetration from the paltry five percent at the time of his appointment to about 30% in 2018. The EVC is currently among those leading the charge for the realisation of the new national broadband penetration target of 70 percent by 2025 since his reappointment in office in 2020.
While presenting the award, Chief Abiola Dosunmu, the Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos, said Danbatta was eminently qualified and deserving of the distinct recognition conferred upon him.
Other eminent Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in professional excellence and service to humanity in the private and public sectors were conferred with various categories of awards at the event including the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote who won the Personality of the Year Award.