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Telecoms operators take sector’s challenges to Osinbajo

By Adeyemi Adepetun
03 February 2016   |   6:03 am
MTN laments closure of Ondo office TELECOMMUNICATIONS operators have taken the challenges bedeviling the sector to Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, pleading for government’s urgent intervention. The operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), yesterday, led by its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said the sector wanted Prof. Osinbajo to…
Osinbajo

Osinbajo

MTN laments closure of Ondo office
TELECOMMUNICATIONS operators have taken the challenges bedeviling the sector to Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, pleading for government’s urgent intervention.

The operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), yesterday, led by its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said the sector wanted Prof. Osinbajo to help in finding a lasting solution to issues of multiple taxation on telecoms operators; wants states agents and the populace to see telecoms services as critical national security and economic infrastructure; seek compensation for damaged telecom infrastructure by terrorists in the North East and seek improved corporate governance and government support.

In a related development, MTN Nigeria, in a statement, yesterday, lamented that the closure of its facilities in Ondo by the state government will negatively impact the quality of service in the region and affect millions of subscribers.

The telecommunications firm listed some of the services that will be impacted negatively by the closure to include voice and data services; voice traffic across other operators and international traffic; enterprise data service to third-party clients (mostly banks and other corporate clients), which may in turn impact services such as Automated Teller Machines, Point of Sales terminals, among others.

Adebayo said telecoms operators appreciate the fiscal pressure on Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the respective Federal, state and local government areas, particularly, in the face of dwindling federal allocation, “however, multiple taxation on our industry has remain one of the most critical risk to the growth if the sector.

Taxes are created in most states of the federation with no economic basis. Refusal to pay often lead to arbitrary closure of telecoms base station and seizure of tools and equipment in very crude ways by tax agents of the states.

“Our Association is very concerned about the recurring cases of telecom sites closure by government agencies. We continue to record cases of arbitrary site closure in many states of the federation in an attempt to force service providers to pay taxes and levies some of which are multiple in nature and most of which are only aimed at telecom operators.”

The ALTON Chairman appealed to the Vice President to help members, whose facilities were damaged by terrorists in North East Nigeria.

“Quite a number of our base station sites, exchanges and other critical equipment were destroyed by insurgents in the North East of Nigeria, and it has remained increasingly difficult to restore services in those areas: we are appealing for support from the Government for safe access to those sites and concession by way of relieves to members who are rebuilding damaged infrastructure in those areas: we are asking for concession by waivers and relieves from Government”, he stated.

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