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Kaduna, Imo, Katsina and Plateau States have joined Ekiti State in implementing the right of way charges pegged at a maximum of N145 per linear metre as approved by the National Executive Council (NEC).
Recall that Governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi had signed an executive order reducing the right of way charges related to the laying of broadband or any other telecommunications infrastructures from N4,500 to N145 per meter.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the development made Ekiti the first State in Nigeria to comply with the NEC resolution, thus becoming the cheapest State for broadband infrastructure investment in Nigeria as 1km of cable will now cost just N145,000 as against N4.5m previously.
However, the right of way charges in Kaduna have been completely waived, while Katsina, Plateau and Imo States joined Ekiti in pegging the charges at a maximum N145 per linear metre.
Meanwhile, Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to Dr Isa Ali Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has stated that the actions of the States Governors are commendable.
He stated that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy was delighted to hear about the strides that have been made by the executive Governors.
According to a statement by Dr Adeluyi, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo signed Executive Order No. 002, 2020, ratifying the federal government policy on the 20th of May 2020.
The statement reads: “The actions of the Governors are truly commendable. They also 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 the Executive 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 His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the 19th of March 2020.
“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 COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important broadband is in supporting economies around the world.
“The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy congratulates and commends the Executive Governors of Kaduna, Imo, Katsina and Plateau States for these very important actions.
“We would like to encourage other Executive 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)”.