The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has threatened to sanction operators of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) over one billion naira debts owed it by them.
The GSM operators in the country jointly owe NCAA over N1bn in the past few years, which they have refused to remit to the regulatory agency despite several warnings.
BusinessDay gathered that Muhtar Usman, the director-general, was uncomfortable with the huge debts owed to the agency and had written numerous letters to all the GSM operators, but to no avail. This prompted a meeting between the agency and the GSM operators through its umbrella body, Association of Licensed Telecommunications operators of Nigeria (ALTON).
A statement yesterday by Sam Adurogboye, General Manager, Public Affairs at NCAA, warned that GSM operators with arrears of payments should endeavour to remit such without further delay to avoid sanction.
The statement hinted that Usman had called on all telecom operators who were yet to remit their outstanding payments to NCAA to do so without further delay.
It said that under the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (Establishment) Act, Section 7(1) (n), the NCAA was empowered to prohibit and regulate the installation of any structure, which by virtue of its height or position was considered a danger the safety of air navigation.
He emphasised that pursuant to the above provision, NCAA required an Aviation Height Clearance (AHC) approval for every high-rise structure, mast, tower installation, irrespective of the height and location.
According to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) Part 12.1.7.1.11, ‘the AHC shall remain in force for a period of one year when it shall be due for renewal unless suspended or cancelled by the authority.”
“Similarly, the holder of an AHC certificate shall ensure proper records of AHC granted to it and the renewal of the AHC at least 30 days to the expiry date.”
He stated that the warning from NCAA prompted a call for a meeting with it by ALTON in order to resolve certain perceived grey areas.
Adurogboye stated that part of the grey areas were that AHC should be a one-off exercise, no renewals and structures for AHC should be selective, stressing that not all high-rise masts were deemed to endanger air navigation.
However, this position canvassed by ALTON did not go down well with Usman, describing the directive of the association to its members to cease payments until when all matters related had been resolved.
He stated that Usman therefore espoused all relevant statutes that bequeathed NCAA the authority to render such services and recover costs associated.
He said NCAA as a law abiding organisation had been reluctant to review the fees for so many years even when the reality at inception of the charges had considerably changed.
According to Usman, Nig.CARs Part 12.1.7.1.12, ‘the authority shall carry out surveillance inspection of existing structure within the Nigerian airspace – on aerodrome or off aerodrome to ascertain the compliance level of the structures with safety measures in terms of painting, markers, lightings and approved heights for the structures.’’
He explained that with this, there was a compulsory continuity in surveillance inspection of existing structures within the Nigerian airspace to ensure sustenance of safety of air navigation.
Also commenting, Gbenga Adebayo, the President of ALTON, in appreciating the engagement requested for a bilateral committee consisting officials of both NCAA and ALTON to be established to hold periodic meetings for a smooth working relationship.
