Lagos Assembly Challenges Telecom Operators, Others On Citizens’ Safety

Following increased reports of fallen masts in Lagos State, the Chairman of the state House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Abiodun Tobun, has enjoined telecommunications operators in the state and the state Urban Furniture Regulator Unit to make the safety of Lagosians a priority.

Tobun, who said this at a parley with stakeholders in the telecoms sector and representatives of banking institutions in the state, said the state legislature and the executive remained committed to protecting citizens of the state from further disasters that might occur due to negligence on the part of owners of masts.

The House had invited the stakeholders over a petition sent by the legislative arm of the Lagos Island Local Government, complaining about incessant collapse of masts and the resultant loss of several lives in the area.

In the petition, the members of the legislative arm cited the incident of 10 July, 2011 in which the communication mast erected in the premises of Unity Bank Plc at John Street in Idumota area of Lagos Island collapsed and killed Mr. Debo Abiodun, a father of two.

The other case, according to the petition, happened on Sunday 17 June, 2012, when a communication mast collapsed at the front of Diamond Bank Plc, Idumagbo Avenue and damaged properties.

Addressing the stakeholders after their submissions, Tobun, who was with other members of his committee, informed them that no government would survive without taxes.

He, however, cautioned that taxation must not be made to push companies out of business, advising that the mode of enforcing compliance must be civil.

Lawmakers at the parley jointly agreed with the National Communications Commission, NCC, that telecommunication companies should submit required documents for database planning so that government agencies can introduce licensing and permit for necessary and effective monitoring of masts.

This directive does not exclude banks using registered and qualified service providers.

Contributing, the General Manager, Lagos Urban Furniture, Joe Igbokwe, said there was no proper monitoring and maintenance of masts in the state, stressing that masts belonging to banks in the state needed to be replaced within five years of their installation while radio masts should be replaced after 20 to 25 years of their installation.

He claimed that 95% of the communication masts in the state needed replacement.

Present at the parley were representatives of the Lagos Island legislative arm, Globacom, UBA Plc, Swift Network, ECOBANK, First Bank, DIZEN, UNION Bank, WEMA Bank, ETISALAT, Skye Bank, Diamond Bank.

Others included Unity Bank, NCC Abuja, Keystone Bank, Sterling Bank Plc, Telnet Nigeria Ltd, MTN, GT Bank, C. A. T. Plc, and officials of the state government.

—Eromosele Ebhomele