Illegal Masts: FCTA Loses N500m

By: Wisdom Acka

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS) has disclosed that the Administration lost about N500m revenue to masts erected without approval within the Territory.

DOAS Director, Dr. Babagana Adam stated this in an interaction with some Journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

He stated that available records with the FCT Administration since inception of the department showed that three thousand and fifty masts in the city had no genuine approval.

The Director said some companies only paid for permits, and refused to pay for the processing fees of one million five hundred thousand naira, but go ahead erecting their masts and towers, which he described as an illegal arrangement.

His words: “We have lost about five million naira revenue to illegal masts and towers in the Territory.”

“The permit for erecting a mast is twenty thousand Naira, processing fee is one million, five hundred thousand Naira. But many don’t pay; they only pay for the permit and go ahead erecting their masts and towers,” he lamented.

“We discovered this when some communities laid the complaints to National Assembly -that the noise from the towers was affecting them, and needed to be addressed”, he said.

Revealing that, only three hundred and twenty masts and towers have certified approvals in the whole of Abuja, the Director regretted that most of the mobile subscribers only apply without paying the requisite dues.

He, however, assured that the Administration has taken necessary steps to ensure that the enforcement would not violate human rights.