The Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Dambatta, has decried the rate at which multiple taxation are being imposed on the telecom operators.

Dambatta noted that aside from the multiple taxation, obstruction of the right of way for development of Information and Communications Technology in some states among othe challenges remain a bane of the telecom sectors growth.

Speaking in Kano when the commission paid a courtesy call on the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, Dambatta complained that the activities of some state government agencies were hampering the operations of the telecoms operators.

Dambatta who said that his mission in Kano, among others, was to draw the attention of the state government to the resolution of the National Economic Council on the multiple taxation, levies and charges on the ICT infrastructure in Nigeria called the governor to mobilize his counterparts in the 19 northern states to address the multiple taxes being reportedly imposed on the telecoms operators.

Citing Lagos State Government as one of the states that had already commenced the full implementation of the provisions of the resolution, he called others to borrow a leaf from the state.

Dambatta further stated that about 40 million people had been denied access to quality service by telecoms operators, due to their formation impediments, thus making it difficult for the service providers to deliver efficient services to their numerous subscribers.

The NCC boss said that the issue of broad band penetration was of mutual benefit to the government at all levels and the citizens as this would enhance the latter’s sources of revenue through taxes and charges that were capable of driving investments.

He assured that spite all challenges confronting the operators the commission accounted for not less than N1.4tn to the growth and development of the country’s economy within six months.