Protocols.
It is my pleasure to
welcome you all to this Third Regional Awareness and Sensitization Workshop on
Electromagnetic Field Exposure and Health for the South-South and South-Eastregionsorganized
by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to enlighten the public and
other stakeholders on the issues of EMF Exposure and Health. This workshop is also intended to present a
platform for cooperation between stakeholders in the Telecommunications
Industry to reach an understanding towards putting into proper perspective the
concerns most often expressed by the public on this matter.
We have held two international conferences on EMF and Health in the past and in
continuation of the Commission’s engagement with stakeholders in the industry
on the subject, we have decided to bring this information closer to the people.
In recent times,
the Commission has noticed a steady increase in public concerns regarding the
possiblenegative health effects of EMF radiation emanating from
telecommunications equipment/infrastructure. The negative public
inclination about this subject have in some cases led to agitation against the
deployment of needed infrastructure to the detriment of quality of service
delivery in the country.In response to
these growing concerns and commitment to public safety, the Nigerian
Communications Commission deems it necessary to organize this regional
workshop.
Telecommunicationhas
been an integral part of daily life; providing services ranging from telephony,
entertainment, information and learning over a broad range of media. EMF from a variety of sources have always
been present in our environment and according to WHO “scientific studies to date
provide no indication that environmental exposures to RF fields such as from
Base stations, increases the risk of cancer or any other disease” Itis pertinent
at this point therefore, to make the distinction between two kinds of radiation
often been confused with one another; namelyIonizing and Non-Ionizing radiation. But more importantlylet us note that the
whole spectrum of telecommunications service delivery and indeed the focus of this
workshop is solely on Non-Ionizing
Radiation.
It is worth emphasizing
that over the past fifteen years, we have experiencedtremendous growth in this
sector with a tele-density of 110% and a GDP contribution of 8.5% to Nigeria’s
economy as at November 2015. These feat
would not have been achieved without the active collaboration of all relevant stakeholders
and the healthy enabling environment provided by government.However, much as we aim to sustain this growthand as
the industry continues to evolve, we are faced with various challenges that
have hampered development in the sector in terms of infrastructure
deployment.
The next evolution of the communications policy in
Nigeria is BROADBAND penetration which will certainly require massive
deployments in terms of critical infrastructure if we are to achieve the set
target by government in 2018. Unfortunately,
asignificant section of the un-informed public and
in some cases other tiers and agencies of government often pose the most
vehement opposition to the installation of critical telecommunications
equipment because of the perceived adverse health effect of EMF emissions from
such sources to humans.
The successes we
have recorded over these years have also placedenormous burden on the industry.
Consequently, I urge you all to take note of the following responsibilities that
all stakeholders in the industry must bear as it affects telecommunication
infrastructure and health concerns:-
1.
The industry needs to
deploy at least 50,000 more Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) in addition to the
current 38,000 already installed as at the end of second quarter of 2015. This critical network component is vital for
thedelivery ofbetter Quality of Service (QoS) to the over 150 million active
mobile subscribers recorded in the country as at November, 2015.
2.
There is need forother
responsible agencies and tiers of Government to expediterequisiteapprovals and processes
needed for infrastructure deployment and site build.
3.
The media is discouraged from the
citation of unconfirmed and non-peer reviewed scientific studies and articles that
tend to misinformthe public, thereby creating uncertainty and confusion
regarding EMF exposure and Health.
4.
Protection of critical
telecommunication infrastructure by security agencies and the general public is
very important.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ensuresstrict
adherence to Guidelines and Regulations issued by it to govern all aspects of
telecommunications services, including the installation of Masts / Towers and
radio frequency exposure limits.A
Guideline on the Technical Specifications for the Installation of Masts and
Towers was released in 2009 and non-compliance with the mandatory
provisions of these guidelines constitutes a breach punishable under relevant
provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003; the Nigerian Communications
(Enforcement Processes) Regulations 2005 and other applicable laws. It is
important to note that the Commission’s policy regarding Collocation and
Infrastructure Sharing has been issued and is aimed at reducing the
proliferation and visual impact of telecommunication towersacross the country.
For this workshop, we have gathered experts in
various relevant fields to deliberate, brainstorm and exchange ideas for the
benefit of all stakeholdersin the next two days on current scientific findings
on this important topic of EMF Exposure and Health.
We hope that the
Workshop will provide a platform for policy makers, regulators, legislators,
operators, mobile equipment manufacturers/vendors, consumer groups and other
stakeholders to raise the level of understanding and awareness onthis issue.
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