Telcos Decry Abuja Land Restriction, Seek Intervention

Telecom operators under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria have decried the inability to build new telecom infrastructure in Abuja due to land permit restriction.

The leadership of ALTON led by its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, and Executive Secretary, Kazeem ‘Ladepo, is therefore seeking the intervention of the Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Patanmi, to engage with the Federal Capital Development Authority to allow operators to build new sites.

In a letter ALTON wrote to the minister, highlighting the impediments to ease of doing business in the sector, Adebayo said, “The provision of first-class telecoms service in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has been hampered by the refusal of the Federal Capital Development Authority to grant permits to our members to build infrastructure.

“Despite concerted engagement, the FCDA has maintained that due to the need to maintain the Abuja Master Plan, it will not grant approval to our members to build new sites in the FCT, Abuja.”

Adebayo said that without adequate infrastructure, the provision of qualitative telecommunications services could not be guaranteed.

The operators also expressed concern over the Amended Taxes and Levies Order, 2015 that had engendered the imposition of multiple taxes across different tiers of government.