Telecoms operators and the Lagos State Government are currently on the warpath over what the state describes as a partial disclosure of the number of telecoms masts being used by them (operators) in the state.
The state government has, therefore, threatened to impose a fresh sanction in the form of fines on all errant telecoms operators over their refusal to submit the accurate list of such assets.
Appearing as a guest on Sunrise, the General Manager, Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit, UFRU, Joe Igbokwe, said the disagreement, which had been on since 2005, was about various related issues including the number and location of masts, the materials used and general maintenance.
UFRU was the agency responsible for the supervision of all installed infrastructure in the state, including telecoms masts.
All About Money
Furthermore, Igbokwe maintained that the government’s agitation was not after money as the telecoms operators thought. “It is just to regulate to make sure these things are done orderly, taking into consideration matters of safety and lives and property.” He also noted that the telecoms operators were making money from the structures too.
Recently, an agreement was reached and both parties decided to put the interest of the citizens first. However, users of masts had failed to reach the deadline for the removal of masts which were adjudged as not of standard and dangerous to public health.
On his part, the National President, National Association Of Telecomms Subscribers, Deolu Ogunbanjo, insisted that the new policy was “all about money and regulation,” adding that a mast cost 20,000 Naira as at 2005 but now the government was demanding about 3 million Naira.
He stressed that 80 per cent of government’s intention was to make money and raised the issue of multiple charges from Federal and State agencies.
He mentioned that charges were demanded by the different agencies including the Ministry of Environment, State Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning, Ministry of Environment at State level, Nigeria Communication Commission.
Igbokwe denied that the Lagos State government had demanded 3 million Naira and disclosed that companies had not been paying any fees for many years, until recently. According to him, the new agreement was that companies that already had masts would pay 600,000 Naira per mast while the charge for constructing new masts was 850,000 Naira.
He added that there were separate charges for laying of underground cables, maintaining that the process of laying the cables involved damaging roads which may have been tarred and would cause traffic.
Ogunbanjo decried the heavy taxation and said it was affecting subscribers who were unable to enjoy good services because funds which should have been invested in expanding networks were being used to settle charges.
