Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has directed the immediate reduction of the Right-of-Way levies for telecommunications firms from N5,500 per linear metre to N1 per kilometre of fibre.
This is the second-lowest right of way rate in Nigeria after Kaduna State.
A statement on Sunday by the State Commissioner for Communication, Alhaji Murtala Olanrewaju, said before now, telcos were paying N5,500 per linear metre as the fee for laying fibre cables in the state to strengthen their digital connections.
AbdulRazaq said the decision to slash RoW to N1 only per kilometer was designed to deepen digital penetration in Kwara State, improve the state’s ease of doing business ratings, and ease people’s access to the Internet and other digital communication, especially the remote parts of the state.
“Apart from driving up investment in the sector, the long-term effects of this significant step such as strengthening access to digital communications and bringing more businesses to the hinterlands cannot be quantified,” the governor was quoted as saying.
This is coming on the heels of the decision by the Governors of Ekiti, Plateau, Imo, and Katsina states to adopt a maximum charge of N145 per linear metre for the laying of broadband infrastructure.
Kaduna state government had eliminated the levies for telecom operators.
