The sum of N1.8 billion has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the deployment of regulatory systems in the Nigerian Telecommunications industry to tackle criminal activities.
Isa Ali Pantami, the Nigerian Minister of Communications and Digital Economy made this known in a press briefing with State House correspondents after a cabinet meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja
The minister noted that “the first memo that was approved by FEC is for the deployment of regulatory systems in the telecommunications industry to be implemented by the NCC.”
He further said “the system has two components; number one is the deployment of a regulatory system to monitor, detect and block SIM box traffic. It is going to be implemented at the cost of N804.12 million by the NCC”
“Using these systems, the NCC will be able to immediately address such criminal tendencies on behalf of the Nigerian government,” Pantami said.
The second component in the same memo, he said, is the deployment of a regulatory system to monitor, detect, block, and call masking traffic at the cost of N1.05 billion.
This (second component )will enhance revenue generation by our government because the use of any international number will attract higher tax but if it appears as a local number, the government would be short-changed.
The minister also noted that the president has approved the deployment of the systems to enhance the security of all citizens, especially mobile phone users.
He continued that the distribution of 6,000 e-pad mobile devices by the NCC to tertiary institutions across the country has been approved by President Buhari.
He said in the quote “In the northern parts of the country, 2400 of such devices will be distributed; the same number for the southern parts.
A special allocation will be made for Abuja and Lagos where both of them will share the remaining 120 units of devices.”
