By Christiana Ekpa
The House of Representatives on Wednesday mandated its Committees on Telecommunications and Privatization and Commercialization to investigate the issues surrounding the sale and abandonment of the Earth Satellite Station at Lanlate in Oyo State.
The House resolution followed the adoption of a motion intervention on the abandoned station of the Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) by Hon Oluyemi Adewale Taiwo.
Presenting the motion, the Lawmaker noted that NITEL was a monopoly service provider in Nigeria until 1992 when the Federal Government enacted the Nigerian Communications Commission Act, allowing new entrants into the communications sector;
He equally noted that NITEL has contributed immensely to the development of the sector in many ways as it seconded several pioneer staff to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Digital Bridge Institute.
He said it was aware that NATCOM acquired all assets owned by NITEL and its mobile arm, Mobile Telecommunications (MTEL), thus “ending a decade of trickery over the resale of the company.”
He said since the privatization of NITEL in Lanlate, Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State, the infrastructure has been abandoned thus becoming obsolete with many of its equipment rendered useless.
The committees are to report back within two weeks for further legislative action.
