Nigeria, Covid-19 and the 5G rollout

Conspiracy theorists are contending that the rollout of the fifth-generation (5G) cellular network is the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic that has gripped the world since December 2019.

The time has come for the science community, as represented by the Nigerian Academy of Science, to make a definitive statement on the issue as it concerns Nigeria.

Communication & digital economy minister Isa Pantami has stated that no organisation has been licensed to install 5G cables in Nigeria, though a three-month study trial was launched on November 25, 2019 “to critically review and study the health and security implications of deploying 5G in Nigeria”.

Some Nigerian pastors have, however, linked Covid19 with end-time prophecies, saying that 5G is “part of the new world order where some figures of authority in the world were trying to build a religion, economy, and government for the entire universe.” Numerous videos apparently illustrating the dangers of 5G have been in circulation.

Counter-narratives have also been created to make nonsense of the conspiracy theories. There is no established scientific link between Covid-19 and 5G networks. The World Health Organisation states on its website that ‘‘after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technology’’. It goes on to say that “health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum” and that few studies “have been carried out at frequencies to be used by 5G”.

Major carriers around the world have started to deploy their 5G networks, though the technology is not going to be widely available for another year or so. What is more, research on 6G has reportedly begun in China while the rest of world is still debating the environmental impact of 5G.

The Nigerian federal government needs to take a firm stand based on information and knowledge provided by the scientific community and debunk the contents of fake news now in circulation. Service providers also need to clarify issues that appear confusing, especially against the background of fake news trending on social media. Lagos, April 13

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