Former Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, has shared insights into how he transformed the Commission into one of Nigeria’s most respected regulatory bodies and laid the foundation for the country’s telecom revolution.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday night, Ndukwe recounted the crucial moments that shaped the industry, including the historic GSM auction that paved the way for mobile telephony in Nigeria.
He revealed that barely six months after GSM licenses were issued, MTN and Econet (now Airtel) made the first mobile calls in Nigeria, sparking massive investments into the sector.
“Once that initial foundation was laid, investment started pouring in,” he said. “But getting there was not without obstacles. There were pressures, including calls to suspend the auction while it was ongoing. I had already made up my mind that we would go ahead because the entire world was watching. Vice President Atiku Abubakar, acting as president at the time, gave us the political backing we needed to continue. Stopping it would have been a very bad day for Nigeria.”
Ndukwe, widely referred to as the “Father of Telecom Regulation in Nigeria,” emphasized that one of his first priorities at NCC was building a strong workforce.
“When I got to the NCC, staffing was poor. People used to joke that we had only one and a half engineers. For a technology-driven regulator, that was unacceptable. We had to recruit aggressively, put NCC staff on a competitive salary scale, and embark on training locally and internationally to build regulatory capacity—including myself, because I was new to regulation too.”
He credited political support from the late Ahmed Joda, then NCC Board Chairman, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo for shielding the Commission from interference and enabling it to operate transparently.
“Joda never interfered in management decisions but provided the political cover we needed. Without that, it would have been hard to succeed,” he said.
Reflecting on his 10-year tenure, Ndukwe described it as the most fulfilling period of his professional life.
“In public service, the decisions you make affect the entire country. You can literally change lives. That’s why I was proud to call myself a public servant after my first term. People still tell me they got licenses from the NCC without knowing anybody, simply by meeting the requirements. That openness and transparency are what helped NCC earn its reputation and continue to thrive today.”
Ndukwe concluded by urging today’s public servants to embrace integrity and national development over personal gain.
“Honesty of purpose and doing things the right way are what make systems work. That is the solid foundation we built at NCC, and it is why the institution remains strong today.”
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