Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has urged ministry of communications and Digital Economy as well as Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to intervene in the directive issued by Nigeria Customs service not to allow petroleum product to be delivered to any filling stations within 20 kilometers radius to any border area in Nigeria.
In a letter to NCC signed by Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON, and made available to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, the association explained that the directive is already having huge negative impact on its members’ operations that are unable to refill power generators at their base station that power their towers.
This according to ALTON “may be significant if the necessary agencies of government do not urgently intervene in the situation. So far the Nigeria Customs Service has stopped our members’ trucks in Kebbi, Kano and Calabar from supplying diesel to the telecommunications sites within the borders areas, which may lead to total shut down of communications system/services and by implications worsen the security operations within those areas.”
ALTON however request the immediate intervention of the Commission and the federal Government saying that major hub sites carrying heavy traffic have been shut down due to lack of diesel from yesterday.
It would be recalled that the Nigeria Customs Service in a circular dated Wednesday November 6, 2019, directed all customs zonal coordinators not to allow petroleum product to be delivered to any filling stations within 20 kilometers radius to any border area in Nigeria.
