NIGERIA: EVEN as the number of Nigerians who have the allergy that mobile phone masts trigger have many health symptoms including anxiety, nausea and tiredness, among other health hazards continue to increase by the day, the Executive Vice Chairman of the telecoms regulatory agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Engr Ernest Ndukwe has allayed fears, saying that mobile phone masts are not responsible for the symptoms of ill health some blame them for.

Mobile phone mast allergy increases...as NCC allays fears over dangers
Written by Emeka Aginam
Monday, 04 May 2009

EVEN as the number of Nigerians who have the allergy that mobile phone masts trigger have many health symptoms including anxiety, nausea and tiredness, among other health hazards continue to increase by the day, the Executive Vice Chairman of the telecoms regulatory agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Engr Ernest Ndukwe has allayed fears, saying that mobile phone masts are not responsible for the symptoms of ill health some blame them for.

Although it is unclear how many people in Nigeria suffer from “electro_sensitivity”, an allergy they believe can be triggered by a range of modern day appliances from hair driers to mobile phone masts,
the NCC boss who spoke at the last month edition of the Telecoms Consumer Parliament held last week in Lagos, assured the capacity audience in attendance that mobile phone masts do not pose the kind of danger that people think, adding that caution should be the watch word.

“But the higher the telecom mast, the less harmful they will be. Those structures do not radiate. If they are properly done to specification, they do not pose any danger.
“With base station in an estate, users in that area will have more signals but when they are located very far from where people live, there will be less signals. No case has been reported. But NCC is working and researching with appropriate authorities and once there are findings, we will publish it for the people’s consumption” Ndukwe explained

Even though the Environmental Health Perspectives study on mobile phone mast dangers, according to media reports stressed people were nonetheless suffering real symptoms, just recently, one Mr. Omobolaji Fasuyi, an Ibadan based banker, has complained of danger to his life and his family over an MTN GSM mast erected beside his house which is about to collapse on his building.

The complainant who resides at 6, Olanrewaju Street , Alakia Isebo, Ibadan , Oyo state, noted that shortly after MTN Nigeria erected the massive mast close to his house, the mast started tilting towards his house right from the foundation, with clear evidence that it may collapse anytime if there is heavy rain or wind storm.
Fasuyi informed that he has made several calls at the MTN Ibadan office to no avail after which he decided to petition the telecoms regulator, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) for possible action.
Even with a recent visit by officials of NCC to inspect the site, he said that nothing tangible has been done but rather, was asked to report to the Abuja office.

In a telephone interview, he said “MTN started the construction of a mast beside my house sometimes in December, 2008, I have reported to NCC. Eventually, they completed the mast in January, 2009, it wasn’t until then they showed up. However, no concrete action has been taken so far, now the mast is about falling apart and collapsing as evidenced by the attached pictures, the mast is uprooting from the foundation”.

“Besides the fear of sudden collapse, there is also the health hazards attached to GSM mast located closely to residential areas. Of recent, fears have been expressed in Nigeria about the safety or otherwise of citing of telecoms base stations and telecoms masts in residential areas especially with reports of alleged development of cancer amongst some residents in the United Kingdom .“I am a family man. My life and the life of my family is in jeopardy with the uprooting mast, more so now that the rain has started”, he said.

With this development, he called on NCC, telecoms stakeholders and other meaningful Nigerians to appeal to MTN to act quickly on the issue, adding that the mast may collapses with an adverse effect on his building which will as well affect the entire family.

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