Borno residents request restoration of GSM services

Residents of Borno State Tuesday requested the federal government to restore telecommunication services to the state which were suspended on May 16 this year following the declaration of emergency rule by President Goodluck Jonathan in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.
The residents in Maiduguri, the state capital lamented the number of lives lost on the highways leading to the state by people who travelled to make calls to their relatives and associates through telephone in the neighbouring states.
However, telephone services have already been restored to Yobe and Adamawa States for over two months now.
A member representing Kwaya Kusar state constituency in the Borno State House of Assembly, Hon, Saleh Banga, who argued that the federal government no more has excuse for locking down telecommunications in the state since months after, said it was high time GSM lines were restored especially as many lives are lost on the Borno highways, many of which would not have suffered the ugly fate had there been telecommunications services in the state.
He said: “Many people lost their lives while travelling to Damaturu to make calls. We witnessed over 200 people massacred in Beneisheikh, we have never witnessed such killings in Maiduguri since the insecurity started, after the one year anniversary of the Boko Haram crisis.”
He further argued that it was unfair on the people of the state for telecommunications to be restored especially in Yobe which had at many occasionss suffered the deadliest of Boko Haram attacks.
Banga said if telecommunications services were locked down due to Boko Haram attacks and not for punitive reason, the federal government has no reason to keep the people of Borno incommunicado and further risk their lives to the dangers of the road.
Another resident of the state, Mallam Sani, said the network has affected the business of the people seriously, leaving many broke.
He added that “the closure of the network has affected the economy and social lives of the people, as life without communication is dull and the people of the state are living like prisoners in their country.”
He lamented that perhaps why the federal government refused to restored the GSM was because the rich and the elite who can afford to buy Thuraya handsets are not affected.
He said: “The elite and high profile Nigerians including politicians, business men and even top government officials have Thuraya phones and internet services in their homes.”
Sani said: “How would they care about us when they made law that Thuraya should not be used and they go about using it. In fact it has become a status thing to be able to call in Maiduguri.”
He called on the federal government to assist them and open the network, as the network is not affecting the elite and high profile Nigerian, adding that top politicians, business men and even top government officials have Thurraya services and internet services in their houses.
He said it was only the masses that have to travel about one hundred kilometers to make calls, pointing out that since Maiduguri and Jere are safe, government should restore network within Maiduguri metropolis.
Hajiya Fatima Ali also called on the federal government to restore the network, stressing that Maiduguri metropolis is now safe and no Boko Haram member dare enter Maiduguri without being arrested.

 – Thisday.

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