Border Closure: Telecom Operators Warn Of Network Disruptions

Forum 4 years ago

Border Closure: Telecom Operators Warn Of Network Disruptions

Telecom operators have warned that some regions in the country will experience communication disruptions due to the restrictions of trucks supplying diesel to transceiver base stations close to the border area.

The operators, who are members of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, precisely said by midday Saturday, hub sites in Calabar area would be shut down due to lack of diesel.

The ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo and the Head of Operations, Gbolahan Awonuga, made this known in a letter to the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission, Prof Umar Danbatta.

They said the directive of the Nigeria Customs Service on the movement of petroleum product around the border area was affecting telecommunications.

The network operators said the directive had security implications.

The letter read in part, “Following the directives by the Nigeria Customs Service in a circular dated Wednesday, November 6, 2019, directing all customs zonal coordinators not to allow petroleum product to be delivered to any filling stations within 20 kilometres radius of any border area in Nigeria.

“The directive is already having huge negative impact on our members’ operations and this may be significant if the necessary agencies of government do not urgently intervene in the situation.”

It noted that the Customs Service had already stopped the trucks of its members in Kebbi, Kano and Calabar from supplying diesel to the telecommunications sites within the borders areas.

The association called for an immediate intervention of the NCC and the Federal Government as major hub sites might be affected.

In a letter by the Deputy Comptroller General of the NCS, Chidi A., on Wednesday, the service informed all its coordinators that it had suspended petroleum supply to filling stations within 20 kilometres of the border.

The comptroller had requested for immediate compliance to the directive across its zones.