Sokoto Assembly summons providers over poor GSM, internet services
From Bashir Rabe Mani in Sokoto
The Sokoto State House of Assembly on Wednesday adopted a motion aimed at addressing persistent poor GSM and internet services across the state.
The motion, moved by Aminu Gidado (APC, Sokoto South II) and seconded by Shamsu Aliyu (APC, Wurno), expressed concern over weak network coverage, frequent call drops, delayed messages and prolonged service outages experienced by residents.
Presenting the motion, Gidado said telecommunications services had become “an essential component of modern life, facilitating communication, commerce, education, healthcare, banking, governance, security and emergency response.”
He noted that network services in some parts of the state become unavailable for hours and, in certain cases, for an entire day.
“Thereby disconnecting citizens from their families, businesses, government services and emergency communication,” he said.
According to him, the poor quality of service has adversely affected businesses, students, civil servants, security agencies, healthcare providers and financial institutions, resulting in economic losses and hardship for residents.
“Subscribers continue to pay substantial charges for voice, data and other telecommunications services despite not receiving satisfactory value for their money,” he added.
Gidado urged the House to express serious concern over the persistent poor GSM and internet services being experienced throughout Sokoto state and to call on network operators and regulators to take urgent steps to improve service delivery.
Following contribution by several members the speaker Alhaji Tukur Bala put motion into a voice vote and was unanimously accepted by the lawmakers.
The Assembly subsequently mandated its relevant committee to invite representatives of GSM operators and regulatory agencies to brief lawmakers on the causes of the persistent network challenges and present a roadmap for their resolution.
It also urged the state government to collaborate with federal agencies and service providers to improve telecommunications infrastructure in the state.
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