The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, has reminded the telecom operators that digital inclusion should not be constrained by short-term commercial logic.

Speaking in Lagos when he received a delegation of Telecom operators in Nigeria, led by the Chairman of the Association of Telecom operators in Nigeria, ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, Olorunnimbe urged operators to consider zero-rated access for educational platforms and the digital creative industry, considering their importance in shaping the future of tomorrow’s leaders and the employment opportunities they generate.

He said, “Please do not view such investments as revenue loss, but as deferred profit. When young Nigerians gain access to digital learning, their earning capacity increases. The economy benefits! Revenue returns in broader form,” he said.

For him, service expansion to underserved areas should be seen as a national obligation.

“Connectivity is not just corporate social responsibility. Every Nigerian has the right to access. Commercial considerations matter, but they should not always be the first filter,” he added.

He also appealed that telcos should give priority to the creative industry to tackle youth unemployment in the country.

Like Oliver Twist, the telcos challenged the new board chair to ensure government’s reacts positively to many intractable challenges bedeviling their operations, including incessant fibre cuts, mostly by government contractors, arbitrary and fragmented Right of Way charges among states, which have slowed broadband spread, regulatory capture, which stifles the NCC from using regulatory prescriptions to solve industry problems, among others.

Acknowledging their complaints, Olorunnimbe said both the regulator and the regulated seriously need to collaborate.

He said: “Yes, we are the regulator and the regulated, but more importantly, we are partners in building a resilient digital economy.

“What I can promise you is that my door will remain open for structured engagement. Disagreements may arise, but they must be resolved through dialogue, data and mutual respect.

“This sector has come through a difficult phase. Stabilisation has begun. Confidence is returning. Our task now is to protect the gains, deepen investment and ensure that Nigeria’s telecom ecosystem becomes a benchmark for the continent,” he stated.