The World Health Organisation (WHO) few months ago stated that mobile phones radiations could POSSIBLY cause cancer. Recently, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) made a statement assuring Nigerians that there is no cause for cause for alarm.
The boss of the organization, Gbenga Adebayo, rightly noted that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) study simply called for further inquiry to provide more reassurance and there were no grounds for Nigerians to panic. He said that though WHO has declared that the emissions from the Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) spectrum is “possibly carcinogenic” and ‘may cause cancer, ALTON as a way of setting the record straight, reassures all concerned of the safety of EMF signals, reports BusinessDay.
That is the problem. Mr Adebayo, this is not politics. This is hard science. How can you reassure Nigerians. How? Did you run a lab test to find out there was no cause-effect relationship? How can you explain out hard science with a comment.
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
EMF is emitted by mobile phones and other mobile devices and systems. If the word EMF is too technical, observe what happens when your phone rings near your TV sets. We all know that when our phones ring, the TV sets flicker (signals go blur or even disappear sometimes). That it can happen to TV sets and radio could imply we are also getting them. The issue is that the quantity we get is very small. But is that good for a baby in the womb of the mom? Those signals can rewire some neural developments in their brains since the human sensory system works with synapses and neurons and it basically an electrical system. In electrical engineering, we call it interference. If the body’s system collides with the EMF from phone, are we safe? Or better, is a baby cool with such doses?
ALTON should commission a study in UNTH or LUTH or one of the universities in the nation and come up with their own fact based explanations. When they do that, they can reassure Nigeriasn. Right now, many people are taking precautions owing to WHO’s report and he cannot be confident on something he has no facts. This is not a Nigerian thing where people never care for facts. Let him just say “I do not know”. There is nothing wrong with that than reassuring on a potential health issue he has no data to back his comments.
The WHO will finish their further studies. Until then, we do not know. And no one will reassure you because we do not know. That is how science works. If ALTON wants to reassure Nigerians, then let them show us the journal where they have published their facts and we will gladly read.
