Nigerians in insurgency ravaged North Eastern part of the country may soon be reconnected with the other parts of Nigerian and the world as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has started working with major telecoms companies for the rebuilding of communications infrastructure destroyed in the wake of Boko Haram insurgency.
Before now the Chairman of Association of Licensed Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), Engineer Gbenga Adebayo had told Business Hilights that well over 10,000 telecoms mast and base station signals running into billions of naira, were destroyed in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states between 2009 and 2015
However, while presenting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment and facilities to the Borno State Police Command in Maiduguri, the state capital, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta said “with return of peace, there was the need to rebuild all the destroyed telecom facilities to restore full GSM communication to the region”.
The ICT equipment and facilities were to assist the Police tackle cyber crime, adding that the commission was ready to give further donation in this regard.
Danbatta, represented by Director of Legal and Regulatory Services, Hajiya Hafsat Lawan, noted that the destruction of the facilities had seriously affected communications in most of the major towns, including the capitals of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
He hinted further that NCC was already in talks with GSM providers on ways to get the facilities rebuilt and effective communications restored.
“The commission was ready to make some sacrifices needed to take the full pains off the GSM providers, adding that the NCC representatives were in Maiduguri to collaborate with the Police on ways to end cyber crime, which has caused a dent on the country’s image in the international community.
