With the expiration of the 30-day ultimatum given to telecommunications service providers to comply with aviation height clearance, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it will immediately commence the demolition of telecommunication masts belonging to Globacom Nigeria Limited.
In a statement sent by the Sam Adurogboye, general manager, public relations, NCAA said the demolition exercise will similarly affect some banks and financial institutions who have discountenanced the Authority’s regulatory requirements on the clearance to erect any high structure within the navigable airspace in Nigeria.
“The Regulatory Authority is left with no choice as the 30-day ultimatum given to those telecommunication service providers has expired. Prior to the expiration of the ultimatum, letters of reminder were written to all affected organisations to obtain Aviation Height Clearance (AHC) for their masts,” the statement said.
“While some of the providers and operators have since commenced regularisation of their masts, others have failed to do same,” it said.
The NCAA disclosed that Globacom Nigeria (7,012 masts), United Bank for Africa (439 masts), and Guaranty Trust Bank (295 masts) are among the operators who have not regularised their masts.
Others are Unity Bank (217 masts), Sterling Bank (159 masts), Union Bank (92 masts), First City Monument Bank (205 masts), Fidelity Bank (83 masts) and Access Bank (303 masts).
It added that a total of 8,805 masts belonging to the aforementioned organisations would be decommissioned forthwith.
“The NCAA wishes to reiterate that it will continue to apply requisite sanctions for violation of extant regulations, especially where the resolve of the Authority is tested,” the statement said.
The NCAA had earlier warned all Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) providers and telecom operators against violation of safety regulations. A 30-day ultimatum was therefore handed down for compliance.
This is derived from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NigCARS) Part 12.1.7.1.3.1 which stipulates that “no person or organisation shall put up a structure (permanent or temporary) within the navigable airspace of Nigeria unless such a person or organisation is a holder of Aviation Height Clearance Certificate granted under this regulation”.
In line with this, the regulatory authority requires an Aviation Height Clearance (AHC) approval for every tower installation in the country irrespective of the height and location.
Adurogboye noted that under the Civil Aviation Act. 2006, section 30(3) (1), the NCAA is empowered to prohibit and regulate the installation of any structure which by virtue of its height or position is considered to endanger the safety of air navigation.
Telecoms operators have since April, when the ultimatum by NCAA was issued, kicked against the authority’s decision, citing exploitation of the telecoms industry as the reason behind the threats.
“There is no way we could have erected a mast around flying spaces without permission or approval. Those infrastructures don’t grow over night. They are threatening to shut down critical telecoms infrastructure which services other sectors in the economy, and this is not right,” Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said in response to the NCAA ultimatum.
“We had a meeting where we were made to understand that the NCAA Act demands them to approve any height of masts because of low-flying aircrafts but we argued that approval is to be done once because the masts don’t grow higher, so once it is cleared for erection, it is done, you don’t have to go every year again to renew because the height doesn’t change and this was part of the issues that we discussed with NCAA,” he added.
