News
Nesrea Shutdown of BTS Affects Service Quality- Alton
Telecommunications operators under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (Alton) has said that it could no longer guarantee quality of service in some parts of Abuja, Kaduna, Ilorin Lagos and Owerri as a result of shutdown of its members’ Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in those areas by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (Nesra).
Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Alton, said that in addition to Nesrea’s action, several other State and Local Government Authorities and their agents have increasingly adopted extra-judicial and ominous tactics of invading and locking up facility sites on trivial grounds and without consideration for administrative due process of law nor the wider implications of their action on the nation.
“It is regrettable that BTS sites are incessantly sealed or locked up by Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) or their agents, typically employing Task Forces to forcefully extract illegal levies and other inappropriate commitments from operators. This is done without careful consideration of the harmful effects of such lockouts to the economy, foreign investment drive, safety and security as well as the wider implications on the generality of the Nigerian populace,” he said.
He added that the recent closures by Nesrea follow the alleged failure of telecommunication operators to submit Environmental Audit (EA) Reports (or EARs) for all BTS sites in the country by the 23rd of August, 2010 in response to Nesrea’s directives.
He noted that although the directive came during the year, after their members had already made their budgets for the year. Telecommunication operator’s he said, never-the-less commenced the exercise and succeeded to a large extent in submitting the EARs by the deadline of 23rd August, 2010. “This is notwithstanding the huge cost implication of the unbudgeted exercise, in an industry that is highly capital intensive, coupled with high operational costs and other challenges associated with the state of supporting infrastructure (such as power and transportation) and also the security situation in the country,” he explained.
He said: “Alton acknowledges and commends the decision of Nesrea to extend the deadline for submission of the EARs by one month, even as we note that the closure of the sites on the 23rd of August (ahead of the expiration of the initial deadline) runs contrary to the very directive of Nesrea. And it needs also to be pointed out that notwithstanding the extension given, it took NESREA officials several days before they unsealed the affected BTS sites”.
According to him, “the impact on quality of services are worsened by the fact that the telecoms infrastructure is a web of interconnected elements – failures on one service provider’s network will often compromise service quality and availability on other networks, negatively affecting users on the other networks. In that regard, Nigeria risks being ‘disconnected’ from the rest of the world as the infrastructure providing communications services are shut down”.
It is therefore in the national interest that telecoms networks be viewed and protected as essential national infrastructure whose seamless operation must not be interfered with without lawful justification and authorisation.
Alton he said however, noted that site closures are often carried out albeit without due consideration for the sensitivity of the telecommunications industry to the economy, given the nature of communications infrastructure. Further, site closures have been carried out in a manner that damages the infrastructure and compromises the health and safety of staff of the agencies concerned as well as occupiers of neighbouring premises. Restoration of the affected sites according to him is often at huge costs in time and financing, with immeasurable impact on the esteemed communication of subscribers. In Nesrea’s case sensitive equipment were crudely powered down, batteries were removed and taken away from generating sets, alloy locks were damaged, and staff of the operators were harassed and intimidated, using armed police officers.
Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Ltd, in a strategic move to modernise its operations and foster a results-oriented workforce, has officially adopted the Federal Government’s Performance Management System (PMS).
The initiative, aimed at driving efficiency and institutionalising accountability, was marked by an intensive staff training program designed to align the agency’s operations with national performance goals and the Presidency’s vision for a digital-first public sector.
According to a statement from Stephen Kwande, the Agency’s acting head of Corporate Affairs, “the transition to PMS is a departure from historical evaluation methods. The new system is designed to provide real-time performance tracking and instill a stronger work ethic across all directorates”.
Welcoming participants, Mrs. Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, managing director/CEO of NIGCOMSAT, represented by Abiodun Attah, executive diirector, Technical Services, described the adoption as “long overdue.”
She emphasised that the system is critical for ensuring that NIGCOMSAT contributes effectively to Nigeria’s broader digital economy targets.
In her opening remarks, Mrs. Chinwe Udogu, general manager, Human Resources Management, expressed NIGCOMSAT’s enthusiasm for the program, urging staff to dedicate themselves fully to the three-day training.
She noted that the exercise was pivotal in repositioning the company to achieve its highest aspirations.
The training consultant, Mrs. Njoku Chioma, said the program is expected to drive culture change, automate work processes, and strengthen institutional performance.
The three-day training, jointly organised by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and NIGCOMSAT Management, covers key themes including:
• Overview of the FCSSI25 as an institutional performance-driven Federal Civil/Public Service
• Service culture and workplace attitude in the Nigerian public sector
• Implementation of the Performance Management System in NIGCOMSAT
• Application of Artificial Intelligence tools to enhance performance in the Nigerian public sector
The move comes at a time when NIGCOMSAT is expanding its footprint, with recent initiatives like the 2026 SpaceTech Accelerator Programme and partnerships for grassroots digital skills training.
By strengthening its internal management framework, the agency aims to ensure that its technical advancements in satellite technology are matched by an equally efficient administrative engine.
Most companies choose to outsource at least part of their Security Operations Center (SOC), with a significant number adopting SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS), according to global research by Kaspersky.
This strategic move enables organisations to benefit from round-the-clock protection, ensure compliance with regulatory standards and leverage advanced cybersecurity solutions and qualified expertise that are often beyond their internal capabilities.
As cyberthreats become increasingly sophisticated, organisations are rethinking how they build and operate their Security Operations Centers. With this in mind, Kaspersky carried out a comprehensive global survey to identify the main motivations, strategic goals, and potential challenges associated with its planning and implementation¹.
The findings of this research revealed that 64% of companies plan to outsource part of their SOC, combining internal capabilities with external expertise.
Meanwhile, over a quarter of respondents (26%) are ready to fully implement an SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) model. By contrast, only 9% plan to build their SOC entirely in-house, highlighting the growing challenges of maintaining round-the-clock monitoring and attracting qualified specialists.
SOC outsourcing enables organisations to delegate selected SOC functions or even the entire operational cycle to a trusted external provider. This approach can include a variety of services:
Design and architecture of the SOC.
Deployment and maintenance of SOC technologies.
Monitoring and analysis by external security analysts.
Consulting and training services.
Full SOCaaS delivery, where the provider handles detection, investigation and response around the clock.
Most companies prefer maintaining strategic tasks internally, whilst leveraging external teams and advanced technologies for operational and highly technical workloads. Among organisations planning to outsource SOC functions, the most commonly delegated tasks to third-party providers included solution installation and deployment (55%), solution development and provisioning (53%), and SOC design (47%).
When engaging external SOC specialists, companies also showed a clear preference for augmenting specific roles, with first-line analysts (61%) and second-line analysts (52%) being the most in-demand among external specialists. These figures illustrate that companies focus more on frontline and intermediate security tasks, such as monitoring and responding to threats.
Why do organisations choose SOC outsourcing?
The leading motivator for SOC outsourcing is the need for 24/7 protection (55%) – an operational requirement many internal teams cannot sustain alone. Another highly cited benefit is reducing workload on internal IT security specialists (47%), enabling teams to focus on strategic tasks.
Additionally, access to advanced solutions and technologies (42%) and external support to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and standards (41%) further drive the decision to outsource, highlighting the value of specialised expertise and cutting-edge tools such as XDR, MDR, MXDR and others.
Budget optimisation is important for only 37% of companies – indicating that the primary value of outsourcing lies in improved protection, not just cost savings.
“The trend towards outsourcing SOC functions, whether fully or partially, is primarily driven by the necessity for enhanced operational focus and strategic agility. By shifting routine and technical tasks externally, organisations are able to concentrate on high-value activities such as strategic decision-making and orchestrating responses to sophisticated threats.
“Moreover, this approach often results in considerable cost efficiencies, allowing for optimised resource allocation. Ultimately, this model transforms the SOC into a critical strategic capability, directly contributing to business continuity,” comments Sergey Soldatov, Head of Security Operations Center at Kaspersky.
Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has made public the full names of 16 officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria indicted by a Special Investigative Panel over alleged serious misconduct, including an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
The officers suspected to be involved in the coup plot include a brigadier general, a colonel, four lieutenant colonels, five majors, two captains, a lieutenant, a lieutenant commander and a Squandron Leader.
Major General Samaila Uba, director of Defence Information, disclosed this on Monday, stating that the panel had concluded its investigation and established that the affected officers had cases to answer.
According to him, the indicted officers will face a military Court Martial in line with established procedures and existing regulations.
Major Gen. Uba said the probe examined the circumstances surrounding the conduct of the officers and identified actions “inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards expected of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
He stressed that the exercise was purely disciplinary and aimed at preserving internal discipline, cohesion and operational effectiveness, adding that the Armed Forces remain loyal to the Constitution and Nigeria’s democratic order.
- Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq (Nasarawa, 44th Regular Course)
- Colonel M. A. Ma’aji (Niger, 47th Regular Course)
- Lieutenant Colonel S. Bappah (Bauchi, 56th Regular Course)
- Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Hayatu (Kaduna, 56th Regular Course)
- Lieutenant Colonel Dangnan (Plateau, 56th Regular Course)
- Lieutenant Colonel M. Almakura (Nasarawa, 56th Regular Course)
- Major A. J. Ibrahim (Gombe, 56th Regular Course)
- Major M. M. Jiddah (Katsina, 56th Regular Course)
- Major M. A. Usman (Federal Capital Territory, 60th Regular Course)
- Major D. Yusuf (Gombe, 59th Regular Course)
- Major I. Dauda (Jigawa, DSSC 38)
- Captain I. Bello (DSSC 43)
- Captain A. A. Yusuf
- Lieutenant S. S. Felix (DSSC)
- Lieutenant Commander D. B. Abdullahi (Nigerian Navy)
- Squadron Leader S. B. Adamu (Nigerian Air Force)
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