Mohammed Arzika
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Arzika was appointed Nigeria
n Minister of Communications from June 1999 to June 2001 in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
started preparing for a transition to democracy in 1991, later merging into the Social Democratic Party
(SDP).
After the failure of the Nigerian Third Republic
with the assumption of power by General Sani Abacha
, he became a member of the National Democratic Coalition
(NADECO) formed in May 1994.
He published a formal telecommunications policy in May 2000.
Prior to the official policy release, Arzika said the changes would help Nigeria add two million fixed and 1.2 million mobile lines over the next two years. At the time, Nigeria had about 500,000 connected lines for a population of over 108 million.
The policy essentially remained in force for the next ten years.
The telecommunications environment at the time was dominated by the state-owned Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL
).
Although Private Telecoms Operators (PTO) were allowed to provide service, typically using wireless links
, the PTOs complained that NITEL denied them access to the network, or failed to provide sufficient access lines, and charged excessively for connections.
Speaking in June 2000, the NITEL Managing Director Emmanuel Ojeba said that NITEL would address these problems, and planned to expand network capacity by about one million lines per year.
Arzika promised to provide telephone service in all the local government areas.
At the opening session of the second Africa Internet Summit in September 2000, Arzika said the Nigerian government had identified access to telecommunications as a critical factor in the development of all aspects of the nation's economy.
Arzika pushed to liberalize the telecommunications sector. In early 2001 the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) auctioned licenses for GSM mobile carriers. NITEL obtained a licence, and well as Econet and MTN.
Arzika also made a strong case for expanding NITEL to transform it into a "viable, reliable and technologically sound company to enable it to meet the demands of government's deregulation and privatisation policies".
In December 2000, Arzika said that plans to privatize NITEL had received a favorable reaction both within and outside the country.
In January 2001 President Obasanjo approved a merger of NITEL and the state-owned mobile carrier M-Tel, and confirmed the appointment of Emmanuel Ojeba as the Chief executive. Until then Ojeba had been in an acting capacity for almost a year.
In March 2001, Arzika visited the People's Republic of China
accompanied by Ojeba and met with his counterpart Mr Wu Jichuan, where they discussed approaches both countries were taking to ensure rapid telecoms growth.
In April 2001 Arzika ordered the removal of Ojeba from his position as managing director of NITEL ahead of his scheduled retirement in June 2001 as part of the "process of reinvigorating the much-criticised national carrier".
Speaking in May 2001 in response to allegations that NITEL had executed inflated contracts, a NITEL spokesman said Arzika "is the only minister ... that has not bothered to influence any decision in the company, so how then could anyone allege that he was in the know how?"
In June 2001 Arzika resigned from the cabinet. He was replaced by Mohammed Bello
.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n Minister of Communications from June 1999 to June 2001 in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Background
Arzika was the Chairman of the People's Solidarity Party (PSP), one of the political parties that applied for registration when General Ibrahim BabangidaIbrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
started preparing for a transition to democracy in 1991, later merging into the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The Social Democratic Party of Nigeria, popularly known as SDP, was a political party created to encompass the ideals of a center left political organization. It was one of the products of a democracy project by former President Ibrahim Babangida to have two detribalized political parties, one a...
(SDP).
After the failure of the Nigerian Third Republic
Nigerian Third Republic
The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1993 which was to be governed by the Third Republican constitution.- Founding :...
with the assumption of power by General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
, he became a member of the National Democratic Coalition
National Democratic Coalition (Nigeria)
The National Democratic Coalition was formed on May 15, 1994 by a broad coalition of Nigerian democrats, who called on the military government of Sani Abacha to step down in favor of the winner of the June 12, 1993 election, M. K. O...
(NADECO) formed in May 1994.
Minister of Communications
In June 1999 Arzika was appointed Minister of Communications in Obasanjo's first cabinet.He published a formal telecommunications policy in May 2000.
Prior to the official policy release, Arzika said the changes would help Nigeria add two million fixed and 1.2 million mobile lines over the next two years. At the time, Nigeria had about 500,000 connected lines for a population of over 108 million.
The policy essentially remained in force for the next ten years.
The telecommunications environment at the time was dominated by the state-owned Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL
NITEL
Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, or NITEL, is the principal telecommunications company in Nigeria, and was owned by the government of Nigeria until it was sold to Mtel by the Bureau of Public Enterprises...
).
Although Private Telecoms Operators (PTO) were allowed to provide service, typically using wireless links
Wireless local loop
Wireless local loop , is a term for the use of a wireless communications link as the "last mile / first mile" connection for delivering plain old telephone service and/or broadband Internet to telecommunications customers....
, the PTOs complained that NITEL denied them access to the network, or failed to provide sufficient access lines, and charged excessively for connections.
Speaking in June 2000, the NITEL Managing Director Emmanuel Ojeba said that NITEL would address these problems, and planned to expand network capacity by about one million lines per year.
Arzika promised to provide telephone service in all the local government areas.
At the opening session of the second Africa Internet Summit in September 2000, Arzika said the Nigerian government had identified access to telecommunications as a critical factor in the development of all aspects of the nation's economy.
Arzika pushed to liberalize the telecommunications sector. In early 2001 the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) auctioned licenses for GSM mobile carriers. NITEL obtained a licence, and well as Econet and MTN.
Arzika also made a strong case for expanding NITEL to transform it into a "viable, reliable and technologically sound company to enable it to meet the demands of government's deregulation and privatisation policies".
In December 2000, Arzika said that plans to privatize NITEL had received a favorable reaction both within and outside the country.
In January 2001 President Obasanjo approved a merger of NITEL and the state-owned mobile carrier M-Tel, and confirmed the appointment of Emmanuel Ojeba as the Chief executive. Until then Ojeba had been in an acting capacity for almost a year.
In March 2001, Arzika visited the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
accompanied by Ojeba and met with his counterpart Mr Wu Jichuan, where they discussed approaches both countries were taking to ensure rapid telecoms growth.
In April 2001 Arzika ordered the removal of Ojeba from his position as managing director of NITEL ahead of his scheduled retirement in June 2001 as part of the "process of reinvigorating the much-criticised national carrier".
Speaking in May 2001 in response to allegations that NITEL had executed inflated contracts, a NITEL spokesman said Arzika "is the only minister ... that has not bothered to influence any decision in the company, so how then could anyone allege that he was in the know how?"
In June 2001 Arzika resigned from the cabinet. He was replaced by Mohammed Bello
Haliru Mohammed Bello
Dr. Haliru Mohammed Bello was appointed Nigerian minister of Communications in June 2001 in a minor reshuffle of the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo, replacing Mohammed Arzika....
.