By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The Lagos State Government, through the Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit, UFRU, has commenced enforcement on the compliance with the regularization of masts/base stations in the state.
The regularization made it mandatory for all owners of communication masts to dismantle and discontinue with the use of hollow pipe types of mast which was considered, according to international standard, as unsafe to public safety.

The ultimatum which expired on 31 December, 2013, paved way for enforcement that took effect from January 1st 2014. The state government had earlier directed all banks, internet providers, insurance companies and others using the hollow mast to migrate to the newly approved galvanized modern mast in a bid to reduce incidences of masts collapse.

In commencement of the enforcement therefore, government last weekend, dismantled the hollow masts of three prominent banks in the state for failure to comply with official directive to dismantle such masts and vowed to continue with the exercise this week on the affected people who were yet to comply.

UFRU, a unit of the State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, PPUD, had issued over about four months ultimatum to banks and others to replace the old hollow masts with the galvanized mast. The affected banks include; First Bank Nigeria Plc, opposites Daily Times, Agidingbi; United Bank for Africa, UBA, and Union Bank branches on Acme Road, all located in Ikeja.

Officials of UFRU, who stormed branches of the banks in company of armed security personnel, immediately began to dismantle the masts to enforce the law, without informing officials of the banks. As a result of the exercise, services were disrupted in the three banks as all their communication networks connected to the masts were cut off by UFRU officials.

Consequently, management and senior staff of the company engaged UFRU officials in a hot argument, claiming that government officials supposed to inform the management before dismantling the mast which they claim is a breach of security in banks. One of the senior managers in First Bank, who refused to disclose his identity claimed that the headquarters had been informed and they were already working on replacement before the UFRU team arrived.

“This is unfair to us; you have disrupted normal service to our customers. At least you should have approached us inside and we would have sorted amicably rather than this crude approach. It amounts to security breach of banking law.” The manager claimed. Also at Union Bank, the enforcement team was initially resisted. The management staff queried the right of the team in entering the premises without prior notice.

However, the leader of the team answerd that, “you have been adequately notified and warned through several notices but you failed to respond. We have to carry out our official duty and that is what we are doing here today.” General Manager, UFRU, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, speaking on the development, explained that  “Government has been trying to persuade banks, internet providers and others using masts to switch to the new galvanized types for about two years but they have refused to comply with the directive.

He noted that due to the weakness of the hollow masts, several cases of collapse had killed people and destroyed properties across the Lagos metropolis. For him, the new galvanized mast would help to reduce incessant collapse of masts across the metropolis because of its capacity to withstand harsh weather conditions including windstorm.