The Katsina State Government has waived the Right of Way (RoW) charges expected to be paid by telecommunication firms, before laying their optic fibre in any part of the state.
The move followed the signing of an Executive Order titled, “Right of Way (RoW) Charges (Regulation) Order 2023,” by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, on Friday.
“In the exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Section (5)2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD, Governor of Katsina State, do order as follows:-
“1. This order may be cited as the Right of Way (RoW) Charges (Regulation) Order and shall be deemed to come into effect on the 8th day of December 2023.
“2. From the commencement of the Order, charges on Right of Way (RoW) throughout the State shall be free of charge per linear metre.
“3. The amount stated in paragraph 2 above may from time to time be reviewed by Executive Order of the Governor,” reads the circular announcing the Executive Order.
A statement by Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, the spokesperson to the Katsina State Governor, noted that the move is geared towards wooing telecom investors.
“The Right of Way (RoW) charge is the levy paid to state governments for the laying of optic fibre by telecoms operators. Normally, the RoW charge fixed by the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, is N145 let linear meter.
“Other states charge even above that amount, but Governor Radda’s latest Executive Order has now made it free in Katsina State. I have no doubt that the move by His Excellency will soon attract investments for Katsina, especially in the areas of ICT and internet development,” he said.
