Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has expressed dismay over the continued sealing of telecom sites in Taraba in spite of court injunction.
Mr Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of ALTON told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday in spite of court injunction and intervention from Office of the National Security Adviser to the president the sites remained sealed.
Gbenga said members of the association whose sites were shut in Taraba went to court and got an injunction directing authorities of the state to unseal the sites.
“But unfortunately the authority did not obey the court order; this is quite worrisome because the governor of that state had sworn to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“And part of his duty under oath is to ensure that directive issued by competent court of law is respected.
“We are very concerned that despite the court order and the intervention of the office of the National Security Adviser to the President the sites remain closed.
Read Also:
“We hope that in no time the government of Taraba will respect the court order and unseal those sites and in the first instance it is an illegality to seal up sites without competent court order.
He said at the last check last week, the sites were still sealed and it was quite worrisome.
The ALTON chairman said when the sites were sealed, the association engaged the state authorities in discussion, which broke down and members went to court.
He added that the shutting of the site opened the state to poor communication and a lot of security risks in the state.
On broadband, Gbenga said that opportunities existed in broadband development aimed to achieve up to 30 per cent penetration before the end of 2018.
He said that a lot of efforts were being put in place toward achieving the 30 per cent target.
According to him, the size of the country’s market offers continuous opportunities for investors and the telecom industry is stable.
“Our policies and regulations are very clear and transparent and these provide incentives for would-be investors in the telecom market.
“In 2017, over 20 per cent of broadband penetration had been done and by 2018, we think that 30 per cent will be achieved considering the amount of investment telecom stakeholders have put into the sector,’’ he said.
