Nigeria’s Senate on Tuesday directed the Federal Government to suspend the planned deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) network in Nigeria.
The Senate resolution is sequel to a motion on the present status of 5G Network in Nigeria, according to a report by vanguardngr.com.
Sponsor of the motion, Sen. Uche Ekwunife (PDP Anambra), in her lead debate said there were growing concerns on the on-going discussion about the current status of 5G network in Nigeria, especially in regards to the question, ‘if Nigeria is presently connected to 5G.’
She said there were further concerns by some scientists and medical experts that emission from 5G towers could adversely affect the health of citizens by causing symptoms like damage to the eyes and immune systems, among other adverse effects.
Ekwunife, however, said that 5G network has also been reported to hold a lot of promises for mobile broadband services because of its faster speed and better capacity but expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the 5G network has been launched in Nigeria.
She said that several countries, including Switzerland, one of the world leaders in the rollout of 5G mobile technology has placed an indefinite moratorium on the use of 5G network because of the health concern.
The lawmaker said that it was important to investigate the status of a 5G network in Nigeria to ensure that Nigerian citizens are not exposed to an unreasonable risk of great bodily injury or harm.
The reported quoted NAN as reporting that the Senate in its other resolution directed the concerned committees to also investigate the technological impact of the network on Nigerians and report back to plenary within two weeks.
The red chamber, however, asked the relevant federal agency supervising the ICT operations in the country to suspend the 5G deployment until a thorough probe to determine its suitability for human health had been achieved.
