Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said that over 75 per cent of electronics devices imported into Nigeria are irreparable and toxic junk.
Danbatta stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during the public inquiry on draft guidelines on disaster recovery and draft regulations on e-waste.
He said Nigeria had become a dumping ground for all kinds of telecommunications electronics devices, noting that that most of the electronics were faulty and waste to the country they emanated from.
He explained,
“In Nigeria, due to low Gross Domestic Product per capita/low income, and the desperate quest for information, it is estimated that 75 per cent of electronics imported into the country are irreparable and toxic junk.”
“These are second-hand electronics devices. They have one fault or the other from their countries of origins. They were rejected in these countries. As it is with the nature of some Nigerians, they go for cheaper products. We should not accept them. We will do everything to ensure that they are not dumped in our country. They are obsolete and irreparable.”
How can this be managed?
Danbatta said in line with its regulatory mandate and to keep pace with efforts at managing e-waste related issues, the commission has developed draft regulations on waste to address the menace in the country.
Adding that the draft regulation is industry-specific as it keys into national and international levels.
According to him, “the regulations represents a holistic intervention aimed at providing clarity and delimiting the responsibilities of various stakeholders in the e- waste value chain within the telecom industry.”
The draft regulation said that every player within the e-waste management value chain – manufacturer, transporter, collection and disposal facility and recycler – must obtain authorisation from the commission after the coming into effect of the regulation.
NCC is also making efforts to put an end to telecommunication fraud that has increased since the introduction of smart phones.
