Ime Akpan
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has threatened to destroy over 7,000 telecommunication masts and towers belonging to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) providers.
Spokesman for the NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday that the agency resorted to taking the action following the refusal of some GSM providers to obtain the statutory aviation height clearance (AHC).
He said without AHC, the masts and towers constitute danger to safety of air navigation.
Quoting the Civil Aviation Act, 2006, Section 30(3) (1), he said 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.”
He further said the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) Part 12.1.7.1.3.1 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 AHC certificate granted under this Regulation.”
Consequent upon the regulatory provision, he said NCAA “requires an AHC approval for every tower installation irrespective of the height and location.
“Contrary to the above regulations, telecommunication companies have failed to obtain the mandatory AHC from the NCAA which is considered as a violation of safety regulations.”
He said several letters sent by the agency to the GSM providers were not responded to “despite that they were duly received by the relevant executives and duly acknowledged.”
In addition, he said letters of investigation (LOI) were written and delivered to them with no response recorded till date.
Consequently, he said the agency had given the defaulting firms a 30-day ultimatum to regularise their operations.
“However, if there is similarly no response, NCAA will immediately embark on mass decommissioning and demolition of all their masts and towers in Nigeria.
“NCAA will continue to provide a level playing field for aviation and related services to thrive in Nigeria.
“Much more importantly, safety and security of airline operations is critical and will not be compromised,” he added.
The aviation regulatory authority said there are more than 40,000 masts and towers in Nigeria.
‘Statutorily, all telecommunications operators should obtain Aviation Height Clearance (AHC) and ensured their annual validity.
“What this means is that GSM providers have been running their networks and providing interconnectivity to millions of subscribers without AHC certificate thereby jeopardising safety of air navigation,” said Adurogboye.
It would be recalled that at a meeting with the director general of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman early in the year, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) members were advised to ensure they obtain AHC.
The meeting was meant to impress on the operators the need for all masts and towers erected in the country to adhere to safety regulations and ensure safety of air navigation.
Delegates from the telecommunication companies demanded to be furnished with the location of the masts.
According to the NCAA, a booklet containing the coordinates and location of the masts had since been made available to the organisation.
However, Adurogboye said some GSM providers “have implicitly demonstrated considerable compliance by duly obtaining the requisite height clearance from the Authority except few defaulters.”
