By Mohammed Mohammed
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr. Ibrahim Pantami, has commended the Governors Nasir el-Rufai Rufai of Kaduna, Hope Uzodimma of Imo,
Bello Masari of Katsina and Simon Lalong of Plateau States with compliance to the N145 per linear metre cost of the Right of Way (RoW) charges.
Mr. Femi Adeluyi, who is the Technical Assistant on Information to Minister quoted him in a statement as saying that the RoW charges in these states have either been pegged at a maximum of N145 per linear metre or waived altogether.
The RoW charges in Kaduna State have been completely waived, while the charges in Katsina, Plateau and Imo State have been pegged at a maximum N145 per linear metre.
Recall that on the 20th of May Uzodimma signed the Executive Order No. 002, 2020, which significantly reduce the Right of Way (RoW) of telecommunication companies in the state from N4,500 to N145 per meter in tandem with federal government policy.
While commending the actions of these governors, the Minister, said the actions align 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.
At that meeting, he said the governors had resolved to adopt the 2013 resolutions reached by the National Economic Council (NEC) which agreed on a maximum RoW charge of N145 per linear meter of fibre.
Implementing this resolution will go a long way in implementing the National Broadband Plan (NBP) which was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, on the 19th of March 2020.
According to him, 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, he said.
The Minister hinted that COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important broadband is in supporting economies around the world.
He said: “We would like to encourage other governors to do the same in order to support the development of our digital economy, facilitate digital literacy and accelerate broadband penetration across the country. This will also improve our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).