People in the Zamfara North Senatorial District have urged the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC) to restore telecommunications networks that have been shut down in the area for over three months.
The spokesperson for the Kaura Namoda Focus Forum (KNFF), Abdulrazak Bello, expressed the people’s concerns in a statement he made available to PREMIUM TIMES.
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Mr Bello said the digital blackout affects the Birnin Magaji, Kaura Namoda, Shinkafi, and Zurmi local government areas, which have a combined population of over 1.78 million people.
He said MTN, Airtel, and Glo are cutting off services without giving any official explanation to subscribers.
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Mr Bello said the shutdown of telecom networks was crippling commercial and academic activities in the area.
“Zamfara North is blessed with talented and innovative youths who thrive on digital businesses and modern entrepreneurship. It also hosts the Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda, several educational institutions, and strategic commercial hubs like Shinkafi and Kasuwar Daji international markets, attracting investors and traders from within and outside Nigeria.
“Cutting off internet services in such an environment has paralysed businesses, disrupted education, and forced many young people into joblessness and migration, thereby creating fertile ground for insecurity and social unrest”, Mr Bello observed.
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Other residents who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES confirmed the development and urged the NCC to invoke the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 to address the prolonged silence and inaction of the telecom operators.
They accused the service providers of a breach of trust, disregard for subscribers’ rights, and violation of the NCC’s service quality obligations.
“Subscribers deserve not only reliable services but also timely information on any deliberate service disruption as a mark of respect for their rights and dignity”, the residents appealed.
A businessman, Umar Kaura, said the telecoms network problem was lowering the living standards of the residents.
“We have been suffering a digital divide for several months. It’s a difficult situation that we never anticipated. We can not browse the Internet and understand what is happening around us through any social media platforms.
“Service when available is so poor that we can make only voice calls, depriving us of our rights to information and others.
“Marketers in the communities can no longer order delivery of goods and services either from Kano or Lagos, as they used to when the Internet was okay. The unfortunate thing is that nobody is talking about the issue, and the poor network services are affecting our daily routine and complicating our existing problems”, Mr Kaura lamented.
Another resident, Sanusi Bashiru, from Kaura Namoda town said the unavailability of the telecoms networks has made things difficult for the residents.
“Even when you buy data, you cannot use it in the area unless you travel, and the validity of the data expires without using it. We have resorted to writing messages to people far away using pen and paper.
“Residents are losing a lot due to the shutdown of the telecoms networks because people can no longer do any form of transactions without Internet services”, Mr Bashiru appealed.
The NCC’s spokesperson, Nnena Ukoha, did not respond to phone calls and text messages to comment on the shutdown of telecoms services in the area.
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