Nigeria Telecommunications (Nitel) Plc has assumed control of all security telecommunications cables and other services to the Presidential Villa and headquarters of all security outfits within and around the Villa.
The development is coming on the heels of the recent cases of vandalization of telecommunication cables which cut-off telecommunications services to the Villa, National Assembly, Headquarters of Defence Services and the Federal Secretariat Complexes in Abuja.Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that a letter to this effect was written on June 19, 2008 and signed by Air Commodore P.O. Udabor, chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
The letter read in the part: "Henceforth, any provider wishing to enter cable manhole in the Villa and FCT as a whole, must do so in the presence of an authorized Nitel staff". The letter was copied to federal capital development authority (FCDA), among others.
Bala Ibrahim Abdulkadir, deputy general manager (Corporate Communications), Nitel, said the control conferred on Nitel by the CDS follows an earlier letter dated March 11, 2008.
"All security matters as regards telecommunication cables and services to the Villa, headquarters of security outfits and indeed other parts of the FCT should be handled by Nitel", Nitel letter read in part.
Abdulkadir said that the most disturbing trend in the cases of vandalisation is the specific target of only Nitel cables.
