Sullivan Chime, Enugu State governor, has advised telecommunications firms to first get the approval of the state government before setting up their masts.
Chime gave the advice when the Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Enugu, on Friday.
The NCC commissioners, at an interactive meeting with the governor, expressed concerns over some challenges faced by the service providers, including the right of way for telecommunications infrastructure as well as multiple taxation.
They linked the vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure to the controversy on the right of way for the facilities.
Chime canvassed collaboration between the service providers and the government in the establishment of telecommunications infrastructure.
The governor observed that, so far, the service providers had not been carrying the government along.
He said, “The network providers don’t go the government. Maybe they feel it is cheaper or more convenient for them – they just go to the landlords not knowing that government owns most of the land.
“Sometimes you find the masts erected dangerously close to where people live. These issues can be easily managed if they (service providers) talk to the government.
“They can be given places where they can erect their masts – you can’t just go to a city and set up a mast like that. So I advise the network providers to talk more to the government.
“If you want to lay your pipes or cables, you should talk to the relevant agencies of government. That will help the network providers and also help the government when we work on roads.”
Peter Igoh, Chairman of the NCC Board of Commissioners, said the visit was in line with efforts being made to address issues that undermined the quality of service provided by the telecommunications operators.
Igoh informed the governor that some of the issues that were critical to the improvement of service delivery “are beyond the mandate of the NCC but within the mandate of government.”
He said, “The issue of right of way, and multiple taxation, deserve attention.
“There are multiple taxation and regulations that await the service providers at the various levels of government, including the state governments, local governments and even some communities.”