The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says vandalisation of telecommunications infrastructure is affecting quality service delivery on digital platforms.
Umar Dambatta, NCC’s executive vice-chairman, said this on Thursday at the ‘Youth, Civil Society, and Stakeholder Summit on Curbing the Destruction and Vandalisation of Telecom and Other Critical National Infrastructure in Nigeria During the Elections’, held in Abuja.
Represented by Chukwuma Nwauwu, NCC’s head, wireless network, the commission said it remains committed to improving service delivery by protecting the digital space.
He added that the NCC is also working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a smooth conduct of the elections.
“We received reports of vandalisation of telecom infrastructure from the operating telecom companies and these acts impact on the delivered quality of services and the availability of the digital platforms,” he said.
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“Some of the impacts are as follows: Disruption of the network services and disconnection of digital platforms, congestion of alternative backup routes/networks, interruption of social and economic activities, loss of revenue, ripple effect on other networks and network elements, delay in network recovery.
“The forthcoming elections, national activities and programmes, communication with friends and families, conducting banking activities especially use of point of sales (PoS) machines, all depend on the national telecom infrastructure.
“We all need to protect and preserve this infrastructure, as it will severely impact many aspects of our daily lives and activities in the event of its disruptions.
“The general election is only a few days from today and technology as you are all aware will play a crucial and key role in delivering free and fair elections to Nigerians.
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“The NCC is, therefore, working very hard and collaborating with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that election results are transmitted electronically as required by law.
“We all have a duty to protect the national telecom infrastructures as such to benefit from the dividends of democracy and good governance.”
Dambatta added that the growth in the digital economy proved the NCC’s commitment to improving telecom services and infrastructure.
According to the professor, telecom subscriptions grew from 206 million active lines in June 2022, to 222 million in December 2022.
He said the NCC and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are collaborating to protect telecom infrastructure as a critical national asset.