The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has put its revenue forecast for 2022 fiscal year at about N632 billion.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta spoke when he appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Communications to defend the Commission’s 2022 budget proposal.
Asked by the Chairman of the joint Committee, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and some members on safety of the 5G technology, the NCC chief said nothing hazardous will happen from the technology.
Danbatta, said the agency proposed to generate N632.39bn in 2022 from the sale of 5G spectrum to telecommunications firms, among other revenue sources.
“The revenue would be realised through the sales of 5G spectrum, fines among other; concerning the fears about the 5G spectrum, we share the same concern because it is justified and we have been sensitising Nigerians about the safety of the new technology. The 5G network we are going to launch has no harm.
“Up till date, there is no credible evidence about the health hazard of the 5G technology, therefore it is safe.”
According to him, the 5G Spectrum network was good for the economy and the nation’s social transformation.
He added, “There is no medical evidence from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicating any harmful effect of the spectrum on the health of the end users.
“NCC has enjoined Nigerians to disabuse their minds on the purported harmful effect of the spectrum and we will continue to sensitise them on the spectrum until everybody embraces the use of the 5G network.”
Dambatta said with the launch of Computer Incidence Response Team, telecommunications networks across the country are secured against any form of cyber-attack.
“Recently, not up to a month ago, the commission unveiled its computer incidence responsive which is a certified round protection for cyber-attacks against telecommunication network.
“I am very very proud to bring this information to the knowledge of general public that all over the country our computers are secured from cyber-attacks.
“This effort is going to be intensified in order to ensure the safety of our computers,” he said.
On the commission’s main budget, he said N86.2billion was proposed for recurrent expenditures, N29.36billion for Capital while N2.55billion was earmarked for Special Projects.
The EVC, while defending his agency’s budget before the Senate MTEF/FSP panels in September, had said, the agency could generate up to N400 billion from the spectrum sale next year.
He said his agency projected a budget of N162 billion for 2021 but that, in Q1 2021, “we have exceeded that amount because we were able to generate N181 billion.”
“This is because two of our mobile network operators, the MTN and Airtel, requested for spectrum and that really gave us a lot of revenue.”
Dambatta added: “Each slot of the 5G spectrum is going for an exact price of N75 billion. However, in an auction, it can go as high as N100 billion.
“The exact price for the Spectrum auction, in 2022 will give the Federal Government, N300billion. When the projected revenue is added to it, we are expecting well over N400billion because it is an auction.”
