ALTON tackles NCAA over planned demolition of 8,000 masts

…Says it’s criminal for NCAA to decommission telecom infrastructure

…No going back on planned demolition exercise, says NCAA

Ladesope Ladelokun

The hue and cry triggered by the warning by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities (NCAA) to telecommunications operators, banks and other financial institutions that it will demolish their masts may not peter out anytime soon.

This is because despite the knocks the warning attracted from some stakeholders, the NCAA has engaged a company (name undisclosed) to level over 8,000 masts belonging to those it called defaulters, The Daily Times has gathered.

The spokesman of the agency, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Times at the weekend, said NCAA had started meeting with the said company it engaged to demolish the masts last week.

Adurogboye said the meeting will continue this week for the company to perfect documentation, adding that once agreements are perfected, journalists would be mobilised to witness the demolition.

Reacting to media reports that the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) reported the agency to the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA), he said he was not aware of such move by the NCC but added that NCAA would go and explain issues if summoned.

“If they report us to the security adviser, we will go and explain issues to the security adviser. And we have been working together. So, the Office of the National Security Adviser is not a thing that is new to us,” he explained.

Adurogboye added that there was no going back on the planned demolition. His words: “Definitely we will go ahead as long as there is a defaulter.

They have enough notice. We are meeting with the company that will pull it down. We are perfecting the necessary agreement with them because they need perfect documentation that they are going to do the job for us.

They have their terms. Once we reach an agreement, they go ahead. We have started the meeting with them last week. We will continue this week that is coming, and as soon as we are through with them, definitely, we will mobilise all of you.”

Recall that Adurogboye had in a statement two weeks ago said the NCAA would begin immediate demolition of 8,805 telecommunications masts belonging to Globacom Nigeria Limited, banks and other financial institutions following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum given to the companies affected.

Meanwhile, the Association of Licenced Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has described the latest move by the NCAA as a criminal.

According to its chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, there is no law that allows the agency to decommission telecom infrastructure. Adebayo told The Daily Times that there will be legal consequences should NCAA go-ahead to demolish the masts.

“It will be criminal for anyone to do that. We are not aware that discussions have broken down. So, if NCAA contracts someone to decommission sites, it will be criminal, and there will be legal consequences. Where was the NCAA when over 8,000 masts were installed? Where were they? And they are being economical with the truth.

They weren’t 8,000 drums placed somewhere. They were 8,000 masts.“The second question is how many airports do we have and how many masts are around the airports? They can’t be 8,000 because we don’t have up to 1000 airports in the country, and we don’t have up to five towers.

“There’s no law in the land that allows the agency to decommission telecom infrastructure. There is no such law. Not the NCAA Act. Not the NCC Act. No such infrastructure would be tampered with without a court order.

So, if the NCAA really wants to do what they want to do, it must be according to law. They should go to court, get a court order allowing them to do what they want to do.

We are going to fold our arms and watch. They will throw the nation into a telecom blackout,” he concluded