The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, Prof. Umar Garba has disclosed that the commission is considering the health implications of deploying the Fifth Generation, 5G, network.
Delivering his keynote address at the 2020 Virtual Nigeria innovation Summit held in Abuja, Prof. Garba noted that while the NCC is exploring the vast potential benefits of 5G, it can’t ignore possible health implication of deploying the network.
The EVC who was represented at the event by the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, stressed that any nation that plans to succeed must have well-articulated policies in place to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
Speaking on the event’s theme “Innovating in Critical Times” the EVC acknowledged that the incidence of COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the frailties of even the most advanced nations.
He mentioned some vital roles which the NCC played amid the pandemic to include enabling digital transactions off the floors of banking halls and the establishment of Emergency Communication Centers (ECC) for easy response to the pandemic.
“Together with our stakeholders from the banking sector, the NCC is actively involved in the application of various electronic portals that continue to drive transactions off the banking floor and onto handheld devices or personal computers.
“It is pertinent, at this juncture, to note that NCC’s Emergency Communication Centers (ECC) have been crucial in the Federal Government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1,209 COVID-19-related calls made between March and June 2020 from the nineteen (19) ECCs across the country. The establishment of the ECCs by the Commission across the nation was borne out of the need to safeguard all Nigerians irrespective of their geographical locations,” he said.
