No health hazard with mobile phone usage – NCC

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has laid to rest the widespread speculation that, use of mobile phones is dangerous to user’s health saying that, use of the device is hazard-free. The commission disclosed this yesterday when it dragged all mobile telecommunication service providers before their subscribers in Zaria.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of the commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, while responding to questions from subscribers at the consumer parliament, held at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria said, not even telecommunication service providers’ masts have health hazards.

Represented by the commission’s Deputy Director of Consumer Affairs, Dr. Femi Atoyebi, the NCC Vice Chairman reiterated that “there has not been any scientific proof that radiation from mobile phones is harmful to the health of subscribers”.

He also stated that, telecommunication masts have recommended height, to which the commission always ensure strict compliance to, to prevent harmful radiation from getting down to human beings and animals around.

According to him, “As it is now, for someone to be affected by radiation from masts, that person must have climbed the mast naked. If such radiation is so harmful, all the people in United State of America would have died, because they have been using it a long time ago”.

While commenting on the essence of the programme, the NCC boss said, the consumer parliament was a necessary forum to subject telecom service providers to questioning from their subscribers.

Meanwhile, service providers like, MTN, Airtel, Glo and Etisalat, who were present at the event, answered series of questions from their subscribers and promised to take all observations to their managements for further action, with a view to serving their subscribers better.