The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami has expressed satisfaction with the crash in Right of Way(RoW) charges from N5,500 per linear metre to N1 per kilometre of fibre in Kwara State and from N600 per linear metre to N0 in Anambra State.
Dr. Patami in a statement signed by his Technical Assistant Information Technology, Dr Femi Adeluyi while commending said Governors Abdulrahman Abdulrazak and Willie Obiano have positioned their States to embrace the Digital Economy.
According to the Minister: “The actions of Governors Abdulrahman and Obiano in crashing the Right of Way charges are indeed timely and truly commendable. They align with the resolution of the meeting between the Honourable Minister and the State Governors under the auspices of the Governors’ Forum on the 22nd of January 2020 to address the lingering issue of Right of Way (RoW) charges in a bid to deepen broadband penetration in the country and promote a Digital Economy for a Digital Nigeria”.
“Governor Anambra State Governor Williams Obiano Implementing this resolution will go a long way in supporting the execution of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) which was launched by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the 19th of March 2020,” he added.
The Minister also maintained that “an increase in broadband access will have a positive impact on the economy of the various States as well as the entire country. One of the key benefits is the rapid growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) of any country that increases its broadband penetration. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the importance of broadband in supporting economies around the world.”
He said: “The action of providing a policy backing to the Right of Way charges is truly commendable. It is also in consonance with the resolution of the State Governors under the auspices of the Governors’ Forum on the 22nd of January 2020 to address the lingering issue of Right of Way (RoW) charges in a bid to deepen broadband penetration in the country and promote a Digital Economy for a Digital Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that Dr Pantami had earlier expressed his delight to hear about the Executive Order No. 007 of 2020 on Right of Way Charges on Telecommunications Infrastructure that was signed by the Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, CON, on the 12th of May, 2020.
Dr Pantami while commending the Executive Governors of Kwara and Anambra States for making this important decision however encouraged all other Executive Governors to emulate this action in order to accelerate broadband penetration across the country.
The Executive Governor of Kwara State, Southwest, Nigeria, noted that the reduction was “designed to deepen digital penetration in Kwara State, improve the state’s ease of doing business ratings, and ease people’s access to the Internet and other digital communication, especially the remote parts of the state”.
While his counterpart Governor of Anambra State, Southeast, Nigeria, said that “the removal of the Right of Way charges by Anambra State is the first step to a digital economy that welcomes key stakeholders, investors, innovators, educators, and businesses to The Light of the Nation. It is also aligned with the resolution of the Nigerian Governors’ forum of January 2020 and the launching of the National Broadband Plan by Mr. President in March 2020″.
Source: VON
