Telcos–NOGASA Dispute: Diesel Supply Restored to Telecom Sites
The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has confirmed that diesel supply to telecom facilities has resumed, following last week’s suspension that threatened service at about 16,000 sites across the country.
ALTON disclosed that its members are meeting today with the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) to seek a permanent resolution to the disagreement between both sides.
According to ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, the issue is not an industry-wide debt or telecom sector problem, but rather a private commercial dispute between a NOGASA member and a telecom tower company.
“They resumed supply late Friday into early Saturday, and discussions will continue today,” Adebayo told The Guardian. “This is not about unpaid industry debts but a trade disagreement between two companies. We are puzzled as to why the entire NOGASA would go on strike over an isolated dispute involving one member.”
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He stressed that the matter involved a single NOGASA-owned company and one telecom firm, yet the association’s strike action affected operations nationwide.
NOGASA had earlier cited debts as the reason for halting diesel supplies, but on Saturday, its National President, Bennett Okorie, announced the resumption of deliveries to telecom tower operator IHS and other operators.
Okorie said the decision followed interventions from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). He added that the seven-day suspension would allow suppliers to run 24-hour operations to replenish diesel stocks at affected sites.
