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| Image: CITAD Google |
By Muhammad Salisu, Kano
Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has commended the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Prof. Isa Ali Pantami for coming out to opposed the upward review of telecommunication taxes in the country.
It's recall that, last month, the minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Shamsuna Zainab Ahmed made public a callous proposal to increase tax on telecommunication services on Nigerians.
The Centre For Information Technology and Development (CITAD) said it has immediately then condemned the move as one capable of scuttling the digital transformation of agenda of the country as it would price out internet access and use for many Nigerians, further bringing down more Nigerians to the negative side of the digital divide.
The Centre in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, in Kano, said, it was shocked with the proposal of Mrs Ahmed stressing that it's very uncalled for as it will make telecommunication services more exorbitant.
In the statement signed by CITAD Executive Director Yunusa Zakari Ya'u, explained that, "Already Nigerians are paying one of their higher rates especially in relation to personal income levels."
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| Y Z Ya'u |
"The Broadband Plan of the Government acknowledges that cost of data is already too high and unaffordable."
CITAD quoted Shamsuna's statement says, “The challenge with this affordability benchmark in Nigeria’s context is, given high income disparities, the median monthly income of N19,460 ($54) is much lower than average income levels of N60,000 ($167) per month. Thus, internet bundles at these price points remain largely unaffordable for the majority of Nigerians”.
"In an era in which the governments all over the world are following the
UN resolution that the internet is a human rights and that no one should be left behind, putting everything possible to ensure that all their citizens are lifted up to the positive side of the digital divide," the statement stressed further.
it would have been extreme absurdity to implement a policy that would reverse the little gains that are already being recorded by the country and more so Nigeria still has about half of its population lacking meaningful connectivity.
It was in this content that we called on the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Ali Isa Pantami to ensure that this proposal of raising tax on
telecommunication was rejected by the Government and instead new measures should be taken to crash down the cost of both access devices and service.
"We are happy that, the Minister did not waste time in forthrightly opposing this. He stood his ground and eventually won for Nigerians."
Also, the Centre solute Pantami's courage in going against the current in a government where increasing revenue is the basis of policy making, and his unassailable focus and commitment to the digital transformation of Nigeria.
However, CITAD has appealed to government without further delay to provide a National Policy on Community Networks that will help in enabling communities to mobilize their resources and endowments to end their digital
isolation.
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