Plans are underway by the Federal Ministry of Environment for the commencement of sanction imposition on telecoms companies that violated Environmental Impact Assessment regulations in the country.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Ben Goong, deputy director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry.
According to the statement, agreement to sanction telecom operators was reached after Darius Ishaku, supervising minister of the ministry, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology.
“Under the agreement, all telecom operators in violation of the EIA regulation will now pay the specified non-compliance and administrative fees to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency. Similarly, all base stations that predate the National Environmental Standards for Telecommunication and Broadcast facilities regulations No. 11 of 2011, which are violation of the Nigerian Communication Commission’s Guidelines should be referred to the NCC for appropriate remediation,” it said.
The ministry said all base station sites that were in existence prior to the National Environmental Standards for Telecommunication and Broadcast Facilities Regulations No. 11 of 2011 that are in compliance with NCCs would be re-opened.
It also directed NESREA to communicate to NCC the total number of sealed telecom base stations that violated the EIA Act, and copy same to the federal ministries of environment and communications technology.
“The two ministers believe that the agreement will lead to improved quality delivery to telecom consumers,” the environment ministry said in the statement.
