August 1, 2022

….Gives marching order to stop importation of ICT, telecoms contents that can be produced locally

The minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami has kicked against the proposed 5 per cent excise duty on the telecommunications sector.

This is as the minister also vowed to use every legal instrument available to fight the decision, as according to him, the decision didn’t go through wide consultation.

He said if the decision is allowed to stand it will affect the sector negatively.

The minister who spoke at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications indigenous Content Expo, NTICE, on Monday, with the theme: Stimulating the development of indigenous content through innovation and commercialisation, said that the sector which is already attracting huge revenue to the country’s GDP and creating jobs  should not be over burdened with such taxes.

Recall that last week the federal government disclosed at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) its plan to implement the five per cent excise duty on telecoms services which it had previously intimated Nigerians about.

The five per cent excise duty is an additional fee that the telecom subscriber pays, which is different from the cost of voice call.

Pantami in rejecting the proposed implementation said, ” As a minister, we’re exercising the power of the President, I’m a stakeholder in the industry and I was not consulted. ”

“I think there’s something questionable here. Beyond making our position known, we’ll go behind the scene and go against any policy that will destroy the digital economy. ”

“I have not been contacted officially. If we are, we surely will state our case. The sector that contributes to the economy should be encouraged,” Pantami said.

“You introduce excise duty to discourage luxury goods like alcohol. Broadband is a necessity.”

“We’re on the same page with the national assembly stakeholders who have also not been consulted and they’re part of the committees.”

Speaking on importation of ICT and telecoms equipment into the country, the minister who lamented the huge percentage of importation in the sector, gave a marching order to all stakeholders that “henceforth, the Federal government will not tolerate importation of anything into the country, when we have the capacity to produce it.

He noted that the sector has to significantly reduce importation, as he encouraged the NCC and the Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecoms Sector, NODITS to enforce the policy.

“By 2025 we’ll be able to increase our indigenous content and reduce importation by about 20 percent,” he said.

Report by: Theresa Igata