The recent approval of N654 million for additional Spectrum Monitoring Equipment to be sited in Anambra state was aimed at addressing the challenge of overstretching the ones designated for Abuja and Ogoja stations.
A statement signed by the Deputy Director of Press in the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Mrs Philomina Oshodin said the project was not targetted at the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or any socio-cultural group in the south east, contrary to claims in some quarters.
The statement reads, “to ensure compliance by users of assigned frequencies, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy obtained an approval in 2017 to acquire five (5) Radio Spectrum Monitoring Equipment and two (2) Denial of Service Equipment.
“The five (5) Radio Spectrum Monitoring Equipment were deployed to monitor the whole Country as follows: Azare – to cover Bauchi, Borno, Kano, Jigawa, Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe and Yobe States.
“During the Monitoring Exercise, it was discovered that the Abuja and Ogoja Stations were being over stretched as coverage areas was too large for effective and efficient monitoring.
“Consequently, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy sought and obtained approval to acquire one (1) additional Hybrid Mobile Radio Spectrum Monitoring System in the sum of N654 Million to be sited in Anambra State to reduce the coverage area for both Abuja and Ogoja Stations. This will reduce Abuja Station coverage and enable Abuja to cover Kwara and Ekiti thereby reducing the coverage areas for Lagos and Gusau Monitoring Stations.
” The public may wish to note that the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy does not have the mandate of monitoring radio broadcasting stations and their services.
” Nothing in the above narration has anything to do with activities of any socio-cultural organisation(s)”.
According to her, Gusau was to cover Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kwara, Katsina
and Kaduna States., while Ogoja was to cover Cross River, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Ebonyi,
Benue, Enugu, Abia and Imo States.
She said Lagos was designed to cover Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States, while
Abuja was to cover FCT and Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra and Delta States.
