Nigerian trade group to sponsor telecom protection bill

The umbrella organization for certified communications operators in Nigeria, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), will sponsor a bill to protect the country's telecom infrastructure.

ALTON Chairman Gbenga Adebayo made the announcement at an industry event, the Nigerian Telecommunications and Information Communications Technologies (ICT) Stakeholders summit, held in Lagos Friday.

The bill has become imperative due to the alarming rate telecom infrastructure vandalization in the country, he said.

The bill would make it mandatory to punish anyone convicted of "tampering with telecom equipment," he said.

The drafting of the bill, he said, will start soon. In Nigeria trade groups can draft a bill with the assistance of law makers. The bill must pass through the legislature before it becomes law or an act of Parliament.

Separately, Adebayo also advocated for initiatives to aid the transfer of knowledge to the local work force in the ICT sector, lamenting that Nigerian experts in the communication industries are yet to assume leadership.

"There should be a law that says for instance that after three years, Nigerians should assume main leadership of telecom companies where they work," he said, "so I want Nigerians to take charge."

ALTON, founded in 1999, is the umbrella body of telecom operators in the country, including GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), fixed and wireless providers.