The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has described as strange and interesting the threats by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to demolish over 7,000 telecommunications mast in the country.
The Chairman of ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, while speaking to Journalists on the sideline of the” Vanguard Economy Forum on Telecoms,said having met with the DG of NCAA about three months ago, where the matter of Aviation Height Clearance (AHC) was discussed and concluded on a committee to look into it, it will amount to illegality if the NCAA demolish any telecom mast.
He warned that any mast brought down illegally without due consultation would not be rebuilt and the consequences would be felt by all, adding that the move by NCAA is another attempt to impose unwarranted taxes on the sector, which was already overburdened with multiple taxation.
”The report that the NCAA will bring down telecom mast is strange and interesting. It confirms our position that the telecom sector is a subject of attack from agencies,” he said.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had on Tuesday threatened to dismantle over 7,000 telecoms masts and towers, after operators failed to obtain the statutory Aviation Height Clearance (AHC).
In a statement, the authority claimed that without the requisite AHC, the masts and towers pose a threat to air navigation safety. A 30-day ultimatum has been given to Globacom and ‘other defaulters’ to adhere to regulations or face the ‘mass decommissioning and demolition of all their masts and towers in Nigeria’.
