NCC Awards N650m Research Grants To 11 Universities In Nigeria

In recognition of the role of Academia in the development of the telecoms sector that the Commission instituted the Research Proposals Grant project—The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has awarded six hundred and fifty million naira to eleven universities in Nigeria to help them to research and provide solutions to the problems in the Telecom industry in Nigeria.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, stated this during the presentation of award letters to the winning universities for the 2018 NCC’s Research Grants.

“Under this project, tertiary institutions submit detailed and well thought out research proposals to the commission for innovative use of telecommunication to solve, national problems.

“These proposals, which are varied, resulting in the development of commercially viable prototypes for the 2018 financial year, the commission received 63 research proposals and after stringent evaluations 11 proposals were found to have met the set criteria.

“This is a clear testimony of the objectivity and complexity of the evaluation process in ensuring that the best quality is achieved and the researches are such that will produce prototypes with the potential of providing solutions to both local and global challenges,” he said.

Professor Danbatta explained that the commission had set out clear terms and conditions for the grants and it is expected that awardees abide by all the terms of the award.

“In addition, we wish to provide a word of caution, that you are not, under any circumstances expected to showcase the work or the prototype to anybody or organization or at any exhibition. Until the commission has received the final prototype and signed off on it and we will always show concern to the quality relevance and efficiency of the product we want to push into the industry.

“l look forward to being here again to receive you as you demonstrate to the commission and selected industry stakeholders the modalities for the use of your prototype that will result from this collaborative effort of the commission, ”he stated.

While speaking with journalists Danbatta expressed optimism that when these proposals produce quality prototypes they will be commercialized to revive the manufacturing sector of the country’s economy.

“It will improve the national system of innovation and through this innovation, we hope the new product that can be commercialized and improve service delivery in the industry and content the challenges in the industry. We promise that even when we identify prototypes that will invest in the telecommunications sector of the economy. These prototypes will be put to proper use and it will not gather dust.

“What we are waiting for is the quality of the prototypes to emerge from this collaboration, and if they do and we have the evidence that convinces us that such high-quality prototypes from this effort we will then translate the output of such to proper practical use,” Professor Danbatta added

The universities awarded research grants and their representatives are:

1. Prof. Rabiu Magaji, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
2. Prof. Ejike Chukwu Anene, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University
3. Prof. Ifeanyichukwu Ezenna, University of Nigeria Nsukka
4. Prof. Mohammed Abdulrazaq, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
5. Prof. Oladapo Fakolejo, University of Ibadan
6. Dr. Abiodun Gbenga-Ilori, University of Lagos
7. Dr. Stella Orakwe, University of Port Harcourt
8. Dr. A.O. Adetunmbi, Federal University of Technology Akure
9. Dr. Nuhu Shuaibu, University of Jos
10. Dr. Adeyinka Adedigba, Federal University of Technology Minna
11. Dr. Suleiman Babani, Bayero University Kano.