Special Report: Connectivity issues and NASS charge to NCC on regulatory governance

*Nigeria’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly, in Abuja, blames the Nigerian Communications Commission for what the Federal legislators have described as ‘weak regulatory governance’, cautioning the current unreliable connectivity could endanger human lives and property, particularly during emergency situations

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

Nigeria’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly (NASS), in Abuja, FCT, have blamed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for what the legislators described as “weak regulatory governance” in the West African country’s telecoms ecosystem.

ConsumerConnect reports the Federal lawmakers at the plenary Wednesday, May 6, 2026, particularly held the Commission responsible for the reported persistent poor quality of telecoms services and attendant ebbing consumer experience in the ecosystem nationwide.

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The members of the House of the Representatives also contended that the telecoms sector regulatory Commission has failed to enforce standards capable of compelling the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to deliver expected reliable connectivity in the country’s digital space.

The legislators as well cautioned that the current unreliable connectivity the telecoms are experiencing could endanger lives and property, particularly during emergencies in the country.

It is noted that Nigeria’s telecoms sector has expanded rapidly since liberalisation in the early 2000s, growing from fewer than a million connected lines to over 200 million active subscriptions, making it central to the West African country’s digital economy.

Debate on telecoms consumers’ expectations and actual service delivery

The House of Representatives’ resolution, during the past week, followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance, which Hon. Ahmadu Jaha, representing Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno State had raised on the floor.

Leading the debate, Hon. Jaha emphasised the critical role of telecoms in Nigeria’s socio-economic life.

The legislator also noted an apparent growing disconnect between telecoms subscribers’ expectations and actual service delivery in the country.

Jaha declared: “Telecommunications has become a vital part of everyday life in Nigeria.

“It connects families, supports businesses, enhances education, and drives economic growth.

“However, despite its importance, the quality of service provided by many telecoms companies remains unsatisfactory.”

He further identified recurring connectivity issues, including dropped calls, slow Internet speeds, and failed message delivery as indicators of systemic inefficiencies in the sector.

The lawmaker stated: “The House is concerned that poor network connectivity is a major issue.

“Subscribers frequently experience dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and difficulty sending messages.

“This affects both personal communication and business operations, leading to frustration and financial losses.”

Jaha as well decried what he described as a disparity between the high cost of telecoms services and the quality delivered.

The legislator said: “The House notes that the high cost of data and call tariffs does not match the quality of service delivered.

“Nigerians often pay significant amounts for data bundles that are quickly exhausted due to unstable connections and network interruptions.”

As regards customer service in the digital ecosystem, Jaha insisted subscribers often struggle to get timely responses, with complaints escalated to the service providers left unresolved for extended periods.

He noted: “Many subscribers find it difficult to get timely responses to complaints, and issues are often left unresolved for long periods, thereby affecting emergency communications in dire situations like fire outbreaks, medical situations, vehicular incidents and the needed responses.”

Jaha also linked poor service delivery to inadequate infrastructure expansion, especially in fast-growing urban centres, and underserved rural communities, citing network congestion during peak periods.

Highlights of current topical issues in telecommunications

In respect of some pressing industry challenges, telecoms stakeholders have cited inadequate base stations, unreliable power supply, and high operating costs as major constraints affecting service quality in the telecoms environment.

It is also said that telecoms operators have continued to rely “heavily” on diesel-powered generators due to unstable electricity, driving up costs and limiting expansion.

Among other industry challenges include multiple taxation by different tiers of government, vandalism of telecom infrastructure, and Right-of-Way (RoW) bottlenecks, especially in rural and conflict-prone areas in Nigeria.

Despite these pressing issues, certain critics yet hold the NCC has not been “sufficiently firm” in enforcing Quality of Service (QoS) regulations.

According to them, penalties the telecoms industry regulator has imposed on operators are often “too weak” to ensure their compliance.

Similarly, consumer advocacy groups have accused the regulator of failing to adequately protect subscribers, especially in areas of billing transparency, complaint resolution and service reliability.

On alleged ‘regulatory complacency’ by NCC

Likewise, Deputy Minority Whip George Ozodinobi, in supporting the motion, accused telecoms operators of prioritising profit over service improvement.

Ozodinobi equally faulted the NCC for what he described the Commission’s regulatory complacency.

The Deputy Minority Whip said: “It is like these companies have made enough profits in billions, and so, they don’t care about improving the network anymore.

“The NCC, the regulator, has become complacent.”

Network operators should invest in modern infrastructure, say lawmakers

Sequel to the debate on issues in the telecommunications industry, the House of Representatives urged telecoms operators to invest in modern infrastructure, expand coverage to rural communities, improve customer service systems, and adopt pricing that reflects service quality.

The Federal lawmakers as well directed the NCC to enforce stricter standards and hold the MNOs accountable.

Industry observers said this move somewhat signalled a potential shift towards tighter legislative oversight of the all-important telecoms sector of the Nigerian economy.

The House, therefore, resolved to constitute an ad-hoc committee to investigate the root causes of the comparatively poor telecoms service delivery, and recommend appropriate legislative action in this regard.

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