3rd May, 2012
The Lagos State government has established a new agency that will regulate the activities of telecoms operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the area of masts and towers installations in the state.
The new agency, Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit, UFRU, will address anomalies created by persons and organisations that erect masts and towers indiscriminately without regard for the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2010, and other regulations made in respect of the law.
UFRU is located at Agidingbi in Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, and will be managed by Mr. Joe Igbokwe as head of the unit.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olutoyin Ayinde said UFRU had been mandated to immediately commence its regulatory functions, while calling on the public, especially telecoms operators, ISPs and all organisations involved in the use and installation of masts and towers in the state and comply with the regulations that would be released by UFRU soonest.
The Commissioner stressed that UFRU did not regulate telecommunications activities in the state and that as such, could not grant licenses or allocate frequencies, but is backed by law to regulate masts and towers installations in the state and ensure compliance with Lagos State Laws and Regulations on Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Part of the mandate given UFRU includes to regulate the placing of urban furniture, including telecommunications antennae, masts and towers on land and buildings in the state; approve and supervise the location, position, dimensions, appearance, display and manner in which urban furniture shall be affixed to land; implement the rates and fees chargeable for permits to erect all outdoor telecommunications infrastructure, including masts, towers, base stations and parabolic antennae, as may be prescribed by Commissioner in line with the provisions of the law setting up the ministry.
Ayinde called on all telecommunications operators, ISPs, banks, masts builders and all users of masts and towers to take note of the functions of the new agency and identify with it accordingly.