Senate call on FG to suspend 5G network deployment

Onyxnews Nigeria reports that the Senate has called on the Federal Government to suspend the planned deployment of the Fifth Generation Network, 5G in Nigeria.

The red chamber stated this on Tuesday after the deliberation on a motion by Senator Uche Ekwunife, drawing the attention of the senators to the status of the 5G network in the country.

Ekwunife said her motion was borne out of the need to assure Nigerians of their safety by asking the Federal Government to postpone the launch until a proper investigation was carried out.

The Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, said the 5G network deployment remained a controversial issue.

He said the experts should be allowed to handle it and deliberate on the merits and demerits of its deployment.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said it would be irresponsible of any government to subscribe to a technology that won’t be safe for its citizens.

He stated that no scientific research has been done by any agency of the Federal Government on the 5G network.

He said countries in Europe were already probing the implications of the deployment and wondered why Nigeria had not.

The Senate therefore asked its committees on Communication, Science, Technology and ICT, and that of Health to conduct a thorough investigation with a view to determining the status of the 5G network in the country.

But, the red chamber asked the relevant federal agency supervising the ICT operations in the country to suspend the 5G deployment until a thorough investigation to determine its suitability for human health had been achieved.

The joint committees were asked to submit its report within a month.