2022 Budget: Senate approves N633.39bn for NCC, N8.8bn for USPF

*The Nigerian Senate at a plenary Wednesday, December 15, approves a budget of N633,393,283,000 for the Nigerian Communications Commission for 2022 fiscal year

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Following the consideration of a report by the Committee on Communications, chaired by Senator Oluremi Tinubu during the plenary, the Nigerian Senate Wednesday, December 15, 2021, approved the budget of N633,393,283,000 for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for 2022.

ConsumerConnect reports the country’s Upper Legislative chamber (Red Chamber) also approved N8,824,847,408 as 2022 budget for the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), a subsidiary of the telecoms sector regulatory Commission.

The Nigerian Senate in a plenary

The two approvals were sequel to the Senate consideration of a report by the Committee on Communications Wednesday.

Senator Tinubu, in her presentation, stated that out of the approved sum for NCC, N86,242,952 is for recurrent expenditure; N30,336,144 for capital expenditure and N42,445,864 for special projects; N466,868,323 was transfer to Federal Government; and N7,500,000 as transfer to Universal Service Provision Fund.

The Federal lawmaker also said that Commission’s revenue of N633.3 billion consists of the annual licensing fees (N1.5billion); Annual Operating Levy (N124billion); spectrum fees charges (N450.2billion); numbering plan (N9.5billion); administrative charges (N4.4 billion); type approval fees (N902million) and sanction fees (N165million).

According to Sen. Tinubu, others include: sundry income, including N5million, Federal Government’s intervention for Broadband infrastructure –N41.6billion and transfer from reserve –N1billion.

In the same vein, the Senate has approved the sum of N8,824,847,408 as 2022 Budget for the Universal Service Provision Fund.

Tinubu, in the second presentation, noted that of the total sum approved for the Fund, N1,923,760,092 was for recurrent expenditure; N357,959,020 for capital expenditure; and N6,543,128,296 for projects and programmes respectively.