NCC Works with Telcos to Rebuild Destroyed Facilities in North-east

Michael Olugbode

The National Communications Commission (NCC) is working with GSM providers to rebuild facilities worth billions of naira lost to Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

One of the major facilities attacked by the insurgents in a siege that lasted about five years in parts of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States were telecommunications facilities leading to loss of signal in many areas.

But with the insurgency winding down, there is need to rebuild the destroyed facilities and restore GSM communications to the affected towns.

Speaking in Maiduguri, the Director General of the NCC, Prof. Umar Dambatta, said the commission was in talks with the GSM providers on ways to get the destroyed facilities rebuilt and bring back effective telephoning.

Dambatta who was represented by the Director, Legal and Regulatory Service of the commission, Hajiya Hafsat Lawan, at the donation of ICT equipments to the Borno State Command of the Nigerian Police, said: “We are working on making GSM work effectively in Borno State and parts of the North-east destroyed Boko Haram.”

Lawan said the commission was equally ready to make some sacrifices needed to take the full pains off the GSM providers.

She said the representatives of the commission were in Maiduguri to collaborate with the police on ending cybercrime which has added to dent the nation’s image in the eyes of the world.

She disclosed that the donation was to assist the police to tackle cybercrime, adding that the commission was ready to give further donation in this regard.

Receiving the donation, the Borno State Police Commissioner, Damien Chukwu, said they would be put to use in fighting crimes.

He promised the commission that the police would provide needed escort whenever the work on the destroyed telecommunications facilities were commenced.