FCTA loses N500m revenue to illegal masts

The Federal Capital Territory Administration Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signanege says it has lost about N500m in revenue to masts erected without proper approval in the FCT.

The Director of the DOAS, Dr Babagana Adam, made the revelation in Abuja, during an interactive session with journalists, on Thursday.

He explained that while some companies had paid the permit fee, they had refused to pay the processing fee of N1.5m, while going ahead to erect their masts.

Adam described the development as an illegal arrangement, adding that records with the Department in the FCTA showed that since inception, 3,050 masts in the city had no genuine approval.

He further revealed that the discovery was made, after some communities in the FCT had laid complaints of noise from the masts, before the National Assembly.​

Adam said, “We have lost about N500m revenue to illegal masts and towers in the territory. The permit for erecting a mast is N20,000, the processing fee is N1.5million.

“But many don’t pay, they only pay for the permit and go ahead erecting their masts and towers.

“We discovered this when some communities laid the complaint to the National Assembly that the noise from the towers was affecting them and need to be addressed.”

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