Over 10,000 telecommunication infrastructures have been destroyed per year in the last five years according to the Nigerian Communication Commission.
The commission said this while raising the alarm over the implication of these incidents to the quality of telecoms services in the nation.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, disclosed this at the 2022 edition of the Youth Civil Society and Stakeholders Summit.
He expressed worry over how these incidents are affecting the Quality of Experience of consumers, and called for concerted efforts by the members of the public, and security agencies, to stop this.
Danbatta, who was represented by the Head, Corporate Communications Unit of the Commission, Mrs Nnena Ukoha, said the negative impacts of incessant vandalism of telecom equipment, evidenced in fibre cuts, theft of telecom facilities like generators at sites, vandalism of base stations, among other vices, had become a major burden on service providers, with telecom consumers suffering unwarranted disruptions of services.
He stated, “The impact of vandalism of infrastructure is felt by all in the quality of services rendered as it results in increasing drop calls, data and Internet connectivity disruptions, aborted and undelivered short messaging services, as well as countless failed calls.”
He added, “Therefore, as a community, you are expected to report cases of vandalism of telecoms infrastructure to the nearest law enforcement agencies such as the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and also share adequate information received from the NCC with your family, friends, and neighbours.
“We believe, with your cooperation as critical stakeholders in the telecoms sector, we can all work with the law enforcement authorities in protecting telecom infrastructure in your community.
“Today, the world is driven by communication technology and when any telecom infrastructure is impacted, it impacts individuals’ ability to communicate.”
