75 percent of electronic devices imported into Nigeria are toxic junk - NCC
- The Nigerian Communications Commission says about 75 percent of electronic devices imported into Nigeria annually are toxic junk
- The NCC’s vice chairman, Umar Garba Danbatta, said this importation is due to the low income of most Nigerians
- Danbatta said the commission has developed a draft regulation on e-waste, in line with its regulatory mandate
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says about 75 percent of electronic devices imported into Nigeria annually are toxic junk and irreparable.
The assertion was made by the commission’s executive vice chairman, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, during the public inquiry on draft guidelines on disaster recovery and draft regulations on e-waste which took place in Abuja on Wednesday, March 6, Daily Trust reports.
He said the threat being posed by e-waste is so glaring and can’t be ignored by the NCC.
He said: “In a fast-paced telecoms industry where speed and capacity define the networks, rapid advances in technology make it easier and convenient to change malfunctioning gadgets than to repair them.
“Also, the illegal and predatory e-waste value chain, which encourages the movement of e-waste from developed to the developing countries, adds another layer to the global challenge of handling e-waste.
“In Nigeria, due to low GDP per capital/low income, and the desperate quest for information, it is estimated that 75% of electronics imported into the country are irreparable and toxic junk.”
Danbatta said the commission had developed a draft regulation on e-waste, in line with its regulatory mandate.
According to Danbatta, the regulations represent a holistic intervention aimed at providing clarity and delimiting the responsibilities of various stakeholders in the e-waste value chain within the telecommunications industry.
Ismail Adedigba, NCC deputy director of Consumer Affairs Bureau, said the commission had put together the programme, having considered telecom consumers as important stakeholders in the industry.
He listed types of cyber crime to include phishing scams, identity theft, child soliciting and abuse, online scams, malware, software piracy and hacking providers, traditional rulers, security agencies as well as telecoms consumers.