NCC blames poor telco services on multiple taxation

The Nigerian Communications Commission has
attributed the problem of poor quality of
telecommunication services to multiple
taxation and regulations by governments at all
levels.
Speaking at the commission's special day at
the 25th Enugu International Trade Fair on
Saturday, its Executive Vice Chairman, Dr
Eugene Juwah, expressed regrets that some
state governments had restricted the spread
of critical telecommunications infrastructures.
Juwah, who was represented by the
commission's Executive Commissioner,
Stakeholder Management, Dr Okechukwu
Itanyi, appealed to state governments to
create an enabling environments to encourage
service providers in the interest of their
citizens.
Juwah said that telecommunications had
contributed 8.5 per cent to Nigeria's gross
domestic product.
He said Nigeria had maintained the lead in
Africa as the fastest growing
telecommunications market for five
consecutive years, hence the contribution to
the GDP.
He said the commission had as of January
recorded more than 127 million active lines
from less than 400,000 in 2001 and earned a
teledensity of more than 91 per cent.
The vice chairman emphasised the
commitment of the commission to providing
affordable and pervasive telecommunication
services to the citizens.
"We have been confronted with the issue of
multiple taxation and multiple regulations at
the various strata of the government.
"This has contributed its own challenge to the
quality of service as the spread of these
critical infrastructures are restricted on
account of some of these actions.
"Some state governments are beginning to see
the benefits of having pervasive
telecommunication infrastructures in their
domain and are now very cooperative to focus
less on taxation.
"We urge other states and local governments
that have not joined to do so," Juwah said.
In a speech, Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, the President
of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry,
Mines and Agriculture, urged NCC to regulate
telecommunication operators to protect their
vulnerable customers.
"There is no doubt that a high level of positive
change has taken place in this sector of our
economy which has equally accelerated socio-
economic development of our nation," he
said.