Aminu Maida Biography - Age and Background
With the recent appointment of Aminu Maida as the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), NewsNow presents a brief overview of the Commission’s new chief executive.
Maida takes over from Prof Umar Danbatta, who held the position of EVC/CEO since 2015.
PROFILE
Aminu Maida, born in 1979, is the son of the late Mallam Wada Maida from Katsina State, who previously served as the Chief Press Secretary to former President Muhammadu Buhari during his time as the head of State.
The new NCC boss, Maida, holds an MEng in Information Systems Engineering from Imperial College London and a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath, UK.
Prior to his appointment, Maida served as the Executive Director of technology operations at Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS).
He is a highly experienced technical professional with more than 15 years of diverse international experience in FinTech, Telecoms, and Enterprise Technology.
Before joining NIBSS, Aminu was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Arca Payments Network, a FinTech company based in Nigeria, and held the position of Senior Manager at Cisco Systems UK.
Maida has a strong educational background, with an MEng in Information Systems Engineering from Imperial College London and a PhD in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath UK. He has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship (FinTech Pathway) program at the Cambridge Judge Business School.
His professional experience spans across multiple industries, including FinTech, Telecoms, and Enterprise Technology. Prior to his appointment at NCC, Maida was the CTO at Arca Payments Network, a Nigerian-based FinTech company, and Senior Manager at Cisco Systems UK. He has also worked as a Network Design Consultant at EE, part of BT Group, and as a System Engineer at Ubiquisys, a leading company in intelligent 3G and LTE small cells.
Maida’s colleagues have praised his technical expertise, commercial awareness, and leadership skills. In a LinkedIn recommendation, Jon Webb-Peploe, a former work colleague, described Maida as “laser-focused on the user, agile to turn tasks around quickly, and ultimately does the right thing.”
As the new head of NCC, Maida will be inheriting several ongoing projects, including the implementation of the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP 2020-2025). The plan aims to achieve 70% broadband penetration by 2025, and Maida will be expected to deliver on this target. Additionally, he will need to address other challenges facing the telecom industry, such as poor quality of service and declining investments.
Overall, Maida’s appointment as the new Executive Vice Chairman of NCC is a positive development for the Nigerian telecom industry. His extensive experience and expertise will be invaluable in driving the industry forward and achieving the country’s broadband goals.
