Illegal Installation: Agency Decommission 95 Masts, Towers
The Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency, LASIMIRA, has declared zero tolerance on illegal installation and erection of masts and towers across the state even as it decommissioned 95 illegal masts and towers.
The agency warned that any institution or individual caught erecting masts and towers without due approval would be prosecuted.
General Manager, LASIMRA, Babajide Odekunle at a news conference at the weekend in Ikeja, said the agency would soon embark on a state-wide regulatory inspection and standards compliance audit of such infrastructure.
Odekunle stated that the exercise was geared towards ensuring orderly development of urban infrastructure in the construction and operation of telecommunications infrastructure deployed by telecommunications, tower operators and mobile network operators in the state.
He added that the audit would identify private utility infrastructure and non-compliant infrastructure for removal, while organisations with non-compliant infrastructure would be given some time to perform the necessary actions to bring their infrastructure into compliance before its removal.
Odekunle also said the audit would lead to removal of all illegally installed networks in public drains; identify installed networks beyond right of way permit and comprehensively built database.
The LASIMRA boss added that the task force constituted two weeks ago, had been able to identify over 20 masts and towers that either did not meet acceptable standards or were erected illegally without approval.
“The Agency is also planning to establish zonal offices in Badagry, Epe and Ikorodu in order to strengthen its monitoring and compliance activities.
“The Agency would like to encourage the public to be their brothers’ keeper by giving timely and adequate information on any suspected activities around their neighbourhood that relates to digging of roads/pathways, erection of mast, towers either on the ground or on the rooftop, laying of cables, pipes etc. Be that whistle-blower by contacting us,” he stated.
