The Minister of Communications, innovations and digital economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has warned against use of unlicensed radio frequency spectrum, describing it as illegal and liable for prosecution.
The minister said this during the inauguration of the Ministry’s South East Zonal Headquarters in Anambra State.
The inauguration ceremony took place at the federal secretariat, Awka, on Thursday.
In his address, the Minister noted that the inauguration of the center in the zone is not to witch-hunt anyone or group as it is being insinuated in some quarters but to serve as liaison for all frequency needs of the good people of South East region, comprising of Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi States.
He warned that the use of walkie-talkie without authorization/license from the Ministry is illegal and liable for prosecution.
He said, “all these are due to the importance attached to ensuring the judicious use of radio frequency spectrum with a view to ensuring that national and international standards are complied with.”
According to Tijani, Illegal use of the spectrum can cause harmful interference to licensed users thereby disrupting seamless communication.
ALSO READ: Tinubu directs prioritisation of digital infrastructure investments
“One of the key policy thrust areas of the ministry is to ensure that frequency spectrum resources are deployed in such a way as to enable innovation and new technology to thrive in the country.
“Frequency spectrum (Radio frequency) is that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum used in communication and as a natural but scarce resource it can become a cash cow to any nation if efficiently and effectively used but can be a security threat if not properly managed. In other words it is the communication link as far as wireless communication is involved.
“To this end the Federal Government exercises control over its use by way of regulation and policies which the ministry and her agencies champion. While the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) regulates the spectrum used for commercial purposes, the ministry takes charge or issue licenses for spectrum not used for commercial purposes (non-commercial) such the ones used by government agencies, diplomatic corps, private and public security organizations and any individual that does not apply it for commercial venture.
“Already, the ministry has five existing zonal offices also called radio monitoring centers located in each of the geopolitical zones at Azare in Bauchi State, which caters for the North East zone, Gusau in Zamfara state, for the North West zone, Ogoja in Cross river state, for South South zone, Ipaja in Lagos state for the South West zone and of course, Abuja in the FCT for the North Central zone. Hence, there is a need to balance the spread of Federal government presence in this regard which accounts for why the ministry decided to cite the one for South East here in Awka Anambra State.
“It is in that regard that some staff of the ministry has been in this state since Monday, 11th March, 2024, with several activities aimed at sensitizing the public. The week-long event has featured several activities amongst which include a road show at Emeka Offor electronic and Electromart Markets in Onitsha, which was held yesterday, distribution of flyers, radio/tv jingles etc.
“Therefore, it is the duty of all Nigerians to show patriotism in this regard by ensuring that users or prospective users of radio frequencies, walkie-talkie, in particular, approach the ministry for licenses before deploying equipment so as to avoid causing harmful interference to licensed users and also generate the required revenue to government,” the minister, who was represented by the Director (Radio Monitoring & survey) in the ministry, Engr. Enwerem Chidi, added.
In his brief speech, during the road shows, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Engr Faruk Yusuf Yabo, maintained that the exercise aimed at driving home the message on the need for citizens to adhere strictly to stipulated rules and regulations guiding the usage of such gadgets.