BREAKING NEWS, Business
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THE Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, wants a better protection for telecommunication infrastructure. Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice chairman of the NCC made the case saying considering the pivotal role telecommunications plays in the lives and economic wellbeing of any country, no effort should be spared in protecting the infrastructure and platforms of the industry.
Danbatta expressed concern about increasing cases of illegal sealing up of telecoms base transceiver stations, BTS, across the country by various persons, including organisations, communities, agencies of the federal state and local government at times using law enforcement officers.
The NCC boss, who led a team of the NCC directors and officials on a courtesy visit to Solomon Arase, inspector general of Police, IGP, in Abuja recently, lamented that apart from the actions being illegal, they also violate Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, CAP C39, laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.
According to him, sealing up of BTS also has its social implication that is cutting off subscribers from communicating thereby degrading quality of service, which is already a major concern.
Danbatta further noted that acts of wilful destruction of telecoms infrastructure, cutting of fibre optics and general vandalism had become very worrisome, hence the proposal for the institution of a critical infrastructure law that would require the police to monitor and protect public infrastructure.
“While we seek your support for urgent actualisation of this law, we wish to implore you to see to the use of the current provisions of the law to ensure that individuals found to be engaged in wilful destruction of telecoms infrastructure are timely prosecuted,” Danbatta said.
Both agencies of government, recently pledged to collaborate on vital issues concerning security of telecoms infrastructure and capacity building for modern policing which Arase said, would form the bedrock of modern security practices.
The NCC boss used the opportunity of the visit to place a request list on the table of the IGP, which includes the intervention of the IGP in the following areas: Illegal Sealing of Base Stations, Protection of Critical Telecom Infrastructure, Stealing of Telecom Equipment, and Prosecution of Cases on Contraventions of NCC Regulations.
Besides, he explained that the modern telecoms had helped in no small measures in tackling national security challenges, citing kidnapping as one area where the role of GSM has been pronounced.
He also explained that over the years the telecommunications sector had grown in leaps and now forms the super structure of modern lifestyle, social and economic practices.
“Virtually all the financial transactions, mobile money and mobile banking are made possible as a result of the infrastructure and platforms provided by the telecom industry.
“The vibrant social media industry that we are witnessing today is made possible by the platforms provided by the telecom industry. The telecom and ICT industry currently contributes about 10% to the GDP of this country. It is therefore evident that telecommunications impact positively on our lives, our families, businesses, governance, security, and even our social lives, and even in our international relations,” Danbatta said.
In response, Arase who expressed the readiness of the force to work with the commission immediately proposed the setting up of joint teams, drawn from the Police and the Commission which would handle telecom related cases.
— Mar 14, 2016 @ 16:10 GMT
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