Vandalism: NITEL yet to re-connect Yar’Adua’s phone lines
By Everest Amaefule, Abuja
Published: Thursday, 26 Jun 2008


More than two weeks after vandals cut cables that led to the paralysis of telecommunication services to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited is yet to restore the connection, thereby keeping President Umar Yar’Adua out of the network.
Investigations by our correspondent showed that although NITEL had deployed some of its best engineers to go and fix the lines, the problem had remained intractable as a result of severe damage at three different manholes.

Apart from the Presidential Villa, other sensitive places, which were affected by the vandalised infrastructure included the Headquarters of Defence Services including the Army, Air Force and Navy as well as the headquarters of the State Security Services.

Another problem that had militated against the fixing of the cables, investigations further revealed, was the lack of the necessary cables.

It was also found that the vandalism had occurred about 10 days before the management issued a statement of the problem last week after struggling and failing to restore connection.

However, the outgoing spokesman of the company, Mr. Bala Abdukadir, told our correspondent that some of the necessary cables had been assembled from different parts of the country where they could be found.

Abdukadir also confirmed that the cables were sliced near the walls of the manholes thereby making it difficult to be fixed without replacing the cables from the manholes nearest to the ones where they were damaged.

Further investigation also revealed that the Nigerian Navy had written to the management of NITEL, outlining how it could help the beleaguered telecom operator tackle its recurring problems with vandals.

Another major response is expected from the Ministry of Defence.

In a letter written to several security agencies, NITEL had warned that the vandalism of its infrastructure, especially of the proportions it witnessed recently, was not only economic sabotage, but also a security risk to the nation.


source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200806260272870

Nigeria is indeed a beatiful country, even the president is not safe.

Ok. This is the ultimate. SCRAP NITEL PLEASE!!

Is anyone still using NITEL?
NITEL is a pipe C - waste of public funds!

WOW talk about embarassing, even two disposable cups connected by a piece of string have more credibility and reliability than NITEL, so is that what is going to be used as back up in Aso Rock now? LOL

lol too funny!

Nigeria is a joke,the admistrative setting is not as organize as what you have in a regular kindergarten, Bunch of idiots,imagine not having cables to fix a presendential line,talkless of a common man. With all the money flowing there.

Story! Story!! Story!!!, tell these thrash to inmature Nigerians who are indeed chalatants to the highest order.