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Globacom Limited has offered to reduce its N4.7 billion debt to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) by nearly 40% as part of the immediate conciliatory moves to have its main switch centre at Wuse 2, Abuja re-opened.
Globacom is offering close to N2 billion but the NCAA wants more and an undertaking on when the entire debt will be paid, a person close to both parties told IT Edge News in Abuja,
The NCAA, earlier this week, shut down the site impacting heavily on the capacity of the telecommunications service provider to meet its services obligations to millions of customers.
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According to the NCAA, Globacom’s debt had accumulated since 2007 to N5.2 billion. The telco only paid only N500 million leaving an outstanding N4.7 billion which it has refused to pay.
“My agency is under tremendous pressure by the federal government. We will do our best within the power vested on us to make sure the debt is settled, said Director General of the NCAA, Musa Nuhu.
He said the NCAA wrote 15 letters to Globacom and got no “tangible reply.”
The NCAA alleged that while other telecom operators are paying the NCAA levies, Globacom has refused to pay since 2007. It only conceded to make the N500 million payment after much pressure forcing the aviation authorities to take the drastic measure of shutting down its site in Abuja.
According to Nuhu, “the action we took was for the safety of aviation in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, any masts after a certain height, we are supposed to regulate it to ensure that it is properly covered.
“We do fly aircraft. We do flight helicopters, and it could be drones, among others things we fly. Not necessarily regular passenger flight. Police, PHCN and all those people; do patrol all over the country. I am sure you have seen their helicopters. That is why it is important for us to ensure we have all these in the roadmap and put them in action.”
Additional report by NAN
