The Nigerian government has been praised by the country’s telecommunications network providers providers for its quick responses in the protection of facilities belonging to operators across the country.
The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said they are pleased that at federal, state and local levels the Nigerian government is not taking lightly the plight of the companies’ infrastructure.
Gbenga Adebayo, ALTON Chairman, said the intervention of the government in securing telecoms facilities following several attacks goes a long way in showing the government at all levels in Nigeria sees telecoms installations as critical national infrastructure.
HumanIPO reported in December telecommunication infrastructure in several parts of the country was the focus of attacks by hooligans and terrorists, leading to the operators asking the Nigerian government to intervene.
According to the operators, the attacks were a significant contribution to the dismal quality of services provided by the companies.
Airtel Nigeria is one of the network providers badly hit by the attacks. The company asked the government in 2012 to see the protection of telecommunications infrastructures as a matter of urgency.
Deepak Srivastava, Airtel’s Chief Operating Officer, had said the continual attacks portend great danger for Nigeria’s telecoms sector.
“Government should make pronouncements in form of policy formulation on the protection of telecoms infrastructure across the country,” Srivastava had said.
In addition to commending the government for its intervention, the chairman of ALTON also appreciated Nigerians who frequently report incidences of attack and robberies on installations in their neighborhoods, leading to the arrest of such perpetrators.
Seventeen people were arrested on Sunday during a failed robbery of cables belonging to the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL). The net worth of the recovered cables was 50 million naira (US$318,000).
