ATCON is worried over the on-going proliferation of Telecom/ICT Awards in Nigeria and is fast thinking of packaging a pan-industry award that would be very credible and meets all known international norms and standards.
ATCON President, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem expressed fear that if something positive in not urgently done to check a situation where everybody on the street is organising telecom/ICT awards, it would not be long before these awards lose public confidence and respect. He questioned the criteria adopted by the some of the awards organisers in picking the respective awardees and insisted that there ought to be a universally accepted standard set by the industry to ensure that whoever emerged in any category of the awards is seen as having truly qualified for the honour.
In his view, it could be very embarrassing for three Nigerians to appear in an international event, and all of them are claiming to be the ‘Best ICT Personality of the Year 2007’ in Nigeria. Then outsiders would begin to wonder over what is really happening in Nigeria. The awards would then become a thing of public mockery and shame.
In planning a pan-industry award, ATCON is not unmindful of the genuine efforts of leading industry magazines that have instituted awards to honour companies and organisations who have contributed immensely to the rapid growth of the telecom/ICT sector in Nigeria. Their initiatives have been very commendable and ATCON appreciates the laudable work they have been doing.
It will be recalled that ATCON itself instituted in 1996 the Nigerian Telecom Merit Awards to recognise individuals and companies that pioneered development in the deregulated telecom sector in Nigeria. However, with the recent increase in the number of award organisers in the ICT sector, we consider it wise to initiate a framework that would harmonise the processes of issuing the awards so that winners of such awards can beat their chests in satisfaction that their best efforts got them the awards which they can be very proud of everywhere they flaunt it.
ATCON has no intention of hurting the business interests of the awards organisers in anyway. To this end, these organisers will act as professional event managers, taking charge of the business angle while ATCON and other industry associations as well as the industry regulator would handle the standardisation and harmonisation of the selection criteria and processes.
Meanwhile, ATCON had in its last Annual General Meeting (AGM) held March 30, 2007 passed a resolution empowering the NEC to call a consultative meeting of the relevant stakeholders – ATCON, ALTON, GSMA, ISPAN, NCS, ISPON, ITAN, NIG, etc – to discuss the modalities and set the agenda for the pan-industry awards. It was also resolved at the AGM that the input of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Ministry of Communications, NITDA, etc. would make the award more credible and globally recognised.
The outcome of the meeting of the above stakeholders would then form the plank of discussions with awards organisers wishing to collaborate with the industry stakeholders in the pan-industry initiative. It is only after the necessary modalities have been put in place that a decision will be taken on whether the mega awards will commence this year or in 2008.
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