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Open Letter To The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission Over Digital Blackout

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"8wPuP3Qs" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>The Executive Vice Chairman&comma;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Nigerian Communication Commission &lpar;NCC&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Plot 423 Aguiyi Ironsi Street&comma; Maitama&comma; Abuja&comma; FCT 900271&comma;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Federal Republic of Nigeria<&sol;p><div class&equals;"Rk0sDJyb" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Sir&comma;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>DIGITAL BLACKOUT IN ZAMFARA NORTH&colon; AN APPEAL FOR URGENT INTERVENTION<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>On behalf of the people of Zamfara North Senatorial District&comma; I write to passionately appeal for your urgent intervention regarding the complete cut-off of internet services in our zone by major service providers MTN&comma; Airtel&comma; and Glo for over three months without any official explanation to subscribers&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"geavroWb" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>This disturbing situation has plunged the zone which made up of Birnin Magaji&comma; Kaura Namoda&comma; Shinkafi&comma; and Zurmi local government areas with a combined population of over 1&period;78 million&comma; into digital darkness&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Zamfara North is blessed with talented and innovative youths who thrive on digital businesses and modern entrepreneurship&period; It also hosts the Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda&comma; several educational institutions&comma; and strategic commercial hubs like Shinkafi and Kasuwar Daji international markets&comma; attracting investors and traders from within and outside Nigeria&period; Cutting off internet services in such environment has paralyzed businesses&comma; disrupted education&comma; and forced many young people into joblessness and migration&comma; thereby creating fertile ground for insecurity and social unrest&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Sir&comma; history has shown that idle youths easily become vulnerable to criminal recruitment&comma; radicalization&comma; and other social vices when left without hope or meaningful engagement&period; By denying over 1&period;7 million people access to internet services&comma; we risk compounding our already fragile socio-economic and security challenges in Zamfara State&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Nigerian Communications Act &lpar;NCA&rpar; 2003&comma; from which your functions are derived&comma; is clear in Chapter 2&comma; Section 4 about the Commission’s role in ensuring&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>1 &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The development and monitoring of performance standards and indices relating to the quality of telephone and other communications services and facilities supplied to consumers in Nigeria&comma; having regard to the best international performance indicators&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>2 &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The making and enforcement of regulations necessary to give full force and effect to the Act&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>3 &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The resolution of disputes between operators&comma; subscribers&comma; or any other person involved in the communications industry through mediation or arbitration&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Unfortunately&comma; the prolonged silence and inaction by telecom operators in Zamfara North constitute a breach of trust&comma; a disregard for subscribers’ rights&comma; and a violation of NCC’s service quality obligations&period; 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&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As a patriot and Publicity Secretary of the Kaura Namoda Focus Forum &lpar;KNFF&rpar;&comma; as well as in my capacity as a journalist and community leader&comma; I humbly urge the NCC to&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>1&period; Direct all telecom service providers to immediately restore internet services in Zamfara North&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;2&period; Compel operators to compensate subscribers for the months of blackout&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;3&period; Enforce strict compliance with the requirement to notify customers ahead of any service disruptions in the future&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;4&period; Protect our teeming youths by ensuring uninterrupted access to digital opportunities that drive employment&comma; education&comma; and entrepreneurship&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Sir&comma; Zamfara North is one of the fastest-growing regions in Nigeria&comma; with a population projected at over 1&period;78 million &lpar;2025&rpar;&period; Our communities cannot afford to be left behind in the digital economy while the rest of the country advance&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>We count on your timely and decisive action to safeguard our future&comma; restore trust&comma; and uphold the NCC’s mandate as a true regulator for the people&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>With highest regards&comma;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Abdulrazak Bello Kaura<br &sol;>&NewLine;Development Journalist &vert; Zonal Secretary&comma; NUJ Zone A &lpar;Northwest&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;National President&comma; Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda Alumni Association<br &sol;>&NewLine;Email&colon; &lbrack;abdulkaura21&commat;gmail&period;com&rsqb;&lpar;mailto&colon;abdulkaura21&commat;gmail&period;com&rpar;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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