The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said use of   substandard phones are responsbile for some cancers.

An official of the commission, Mr  Kunle Olorundare, said this at a stakeholders workshop organised by NCC Ibadan Zonal office, at the popular Fayose GSM Market in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Olorundare lamented that fake phones have taken over the country’s phone market, adding that they have had  negative implications on the health of users.

The NCC official  also identified unapproved phones as a major cause of network interruptions. He said the preponderance of substandard phones was causing colossal damage to network services and health of users.

Olorundare  warned that sellers of unapproved Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products are flouting the commission’s Act.

He disclosed they could face prosecution or seizure of their market items if they did not desist from selling such henceforth.

Olorundare also advised phone sellers across the country to ensure the phones they buy  from manufacturers  and dealers are approved by the NCC.

He added that the NCC has a list of all ICT products approved for sale and use in Nigeria.

Another official of the commission, who represented the Head of Zonal Operations in Abuja, Mr  Ekisola Oladosu, promised that the NCC would do all within its powers to check the proliferation of substandard phones.

He noted that the task of sanitising the Nigerian phone market  rested on all stakeholders, and called on Nigerians to support the campaign.

In his speech, the President of the Fayose GSM Market Traders’ Association, Mr  Kehinde Badmus, lauded the NCC for the enlightenment seminar.

He assured the commission that the association’s members would cooperate to help it achieve its goals.

Badmus, however,  solicited the assistance of the NCC in facilitating proximate approved phone dealer centres within the state for easier access to the products.

The market leader urged  the commission to  prevail on internet service providers to establish communication masts at locations where they were lacking within the state.