NCAA, telcos’ tiff: Ojikutu sues for peace

Former Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (Rtd) has cautioned both the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigerian telecommunication companies to thread softly over the current imbroglio that has pitched them against each other. Ojikutu in a statement he sent to New Telegraph, said the face-off may lead to a situation where over 120 million users of the country’s communication system, including government MDAs and security agencies will be put in darkness, which could threaten national security if government authorities do not wave into it on time.

It has taken over three years for NCAA to begin the enforcement of the provisions of its 2015 Regulation for Aviation Height Clearance (AHC) on structures, which by virtue of their heights, locations, or positions could be considered to constitute hazards to air navigation within Nigeria navigable airspace.

He stated that if due diligence were conducted as required by Nig CARs, before the installation or location of the masts, 7000 masts could not have exceeded the dimensions of the AHC allowed in the established aeronautical airspace.

His words: ‘To start with, if the plan of the NCAA to pull down 7000 telecommunication mast is not quickly curtailed by responsible state security agency, the consequences could aggravate further the various insurgencies of the home-grown terrorist groups that are spreading now all over the country’.

‘Whatever debts owed the NCAA by the telecoms companies for the “AHC benefits” or for locating their masts within established aeronautical airspace could be resolved through arbitration at appropriate courts but not at the expense of air safety.

 ‘However, the NCAA must ensure too that it has sufficiently complied with its own obligation as required by appropriate section of Part 12 of the Nig CARs for each of the 7000 masts it plans to pull down if and only if the masts are within the dimensions of established aeronautical airspace or have exceeded the AHC limit in the areas of location’.

For safety concern, Ojikutu noted that the immediate relocation of masts with signals interference to appropriate alternative location should be one of the primary reasons for the NCAA warnings to the telecoms companies.

He explained that signals from telecoms masts if located within designated or established aeronautical airspace could affect flights more on their approaches for landing and take-off than en-route.

He called for NCAA to transparently substantiate its action with records or reports of signal interference from pilots and NAMA.

‘One should however ask; where was the NCAA when 7000 telecomm masts were installed or located within the dimensions of established aeronautical airspace if these areas were published or were made known to the telecom companies?

Wole Shadare