President Muhammadu Buhari has designated telecommunications masts ,towers and booster stations deployed by GSM network operators as critical national infrastructure .The President has also ordered security agencies especially the Department of State Security, DSS to do all they can to protect them.
According to a statement signed by the spokesperson to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy,Dr Isa Ali Pantami, Mrs. Uwa Suleiman,June 3, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to a massive migration to digital platforms, and has increased the level of the importance of CNI to the sustenance of the economy and security of the country.
“The minister is delighted to inform stakeholders in the telecommunications industry that, President Buhari has approved and also directed that necessary physical protective measures be taken to safeguard telecommunications infrastructure deployed across the country. The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Department of State Security Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have all been notified of the president’s directive,Sulieman said.
“We are also working towards the reinforcement of these directives through appropriate regulatory instruments.Dr Pantami specially appreciates the security institutions, and commends the commitment they have demonstrated in securing these infrastructures.”
Widespread theft and vandalisation of these telecomm equipment round the country has been a major headache for the GSM network operators and a sore point in their relations with government.
The President was said to have given his approval to designate the vulnerable telecoms infrastructure as national infrastructure June 2,2020.This followed the request by Dr. Pantami, to strengthen available security for telecoms infrastructure nationwide.
All the GSM network operators-MTN,9Mobile,Airtel and Globacom and their site contractors count their losses from theft and vandalisation of remote telecomm equipment at booster stations in billions of Naira annually.GSM subscribers also suffer due to resultant disruptions to their connections in affected areas.
This new policy is expected to help reduce such losses to the industry.
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