Telecom operators threaten to close operation in seven Nigerian states


Gbenga Adebayo


Telecom operators in Nigeria have threatened to close down their operations in seven states over what they described as excessive harassment by government officials. The states include Ogun, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Osun and Kaduna states.
At a press conference in Lagos by the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), an umbrella body of all telecom operators in Nigeria, the President of the association, Gbenga Adebayo accused the states of seeing telecom as an extractive industry, thereby imposing myriad of taxes on the operator and in most cases closing down base station, when the operators are unable to pay.
“We maybe be forced to shut down network services in seven states over closure of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) by the state governments,” he threatened.
Adebayo urged President Mohammadu Buhari to intervene and declare telecommunication infrastructure National Security and Economic Infrastructure as contained in the Cybercrime Law of 2015 as a way of protecting telecom infrastructure against vandalization as well as incessant government agency’s closure of cell sites.
“Unless we have a first level of protection of the government, it will be difficult to continue to provide uninterrupted services with the type of venerability of our members and their infrastructure.
“We continue to record cases of arbitrary site closure in many states of the federation in an attempt to force service providers to pay local taxes and levies some of which are multiple in nature and most of which are only aimed toward telecom operators,” he said.
Some of the weird taxes, according to Adebayo include ‘Eco Tax for gaseous emission and gaseous emission; Sewage, Sanitation and public convenience levy.
“How can we be asked by state and local government to pay these types of taxes when we are not moving machineries and production lines? What has telecom service got to do with Sewage, Sanitation and public convenience levy when we are not a hotel and bar operators?” he asked.

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