NAN-H-17
Infrastructure
By Gbariel Agbeja
Abuja, Dec. 26, 2016 (NAN) Mr Adebayo Shittu, the Minister of Communications, says there is urgent need to increase effort to provide quality infrastructure to boost telecommunication sector.
The minister made this known when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
According to him, infrastructure such as electricity and provision of security of lives and property will encourage more stakeholders to invest heavily in the telecommunication sector.
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“Whenever you invite people to come and invest particularly in telecom certain things must be taken for granted by those who are coming to operate. One of it is electricity.
“The Nigerian state has failed the operator in the sense that over the last 16 years, we have not been able to provide steady electricity.
“The GSM companies need to buy 100kv generator and need to be buying diesel 24 hours and that adds to their operating capital.
“In the area of security, Nigeria has also failed to provide security and a lot of facilities are being vandalised all over the country.
“At times, many of their men were being killed. All these are adding to the cost of operation.
“These are problems which don’t exist in other places. So, when comparing prices here, you have to look at other indices.
“To me, infrastructure is lacking, operators are finding it difficult to operate because of the discouraging environment.’’
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The minister observed that any excess funds ought to be isolated for the provision of needed infrastructure like electricity.
According to him, if the nation has stable electricity, a lot of investors will come not only in telecom by also in other sectors.
“ If the environment is so convenient, many operators will come. Through competition, price will start going down.
“I know we need money to provide these services and government currently does not have money,’’ he said. (NAN)
FGA/GY/YEE
Edited by Grace Yussuf/Emmanuel Yashim
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