Replying to the raging insinuations in the country of 5G deployment being responsible for the COVID-19 spread, Nigerian government said that there was no way 5G would have been responsible for any infection as none had been deployed yet
Dr Isa Pantami, minister of communication, said that the National Frequency Management, in which he is the chairman, had not deliberated on or released any bulk frequency spectrum for the deployment of 5G.
He, however, said that the government is studying a three-month study of experts it set up to critically review and study the health and security implication of 5G deployment in Nigeria.
According to him, the government places a premium on the welfare, health and security of Nigeria. He stated, “Our desire for technological advancement will never be at the expense of the health and welfare of our citizens and the government will take an informed decision on 5G after due consultation with experts and the public.”
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), the telecommunications watchdog, clarifies the government’s stance. It stated that that there was no correlation between 5G technology and COVID-19, and that 5G is an “advancement of today’s 4G designed to transform the world positively.”
The NCC said it would continue to maintain its policy of technology neutrality and will continue to encourage service providers to deploy the best technology that will meet the needs of the society in a secured and friendly manner.
On claims that the 5G cables were already being deployed in the country, professor Umar Dambatta, executive chairman of NCC said that those insinuations were wrong as no 5G cables were being deployed and that the cables being laid all over the country were those of telecoms operators expanding their networks to provide more efficient services.
“As we speak, any information suggesting or claiming that the equipment being deployed by the network operators is 5G equipment is pure misinformation,” Danbatta said.
