The Nigerian House of Representatives has attributed the nation’s ongoing issues with telecom service quality to inadequate regulatory oversight by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Lawmakers criticised the NCC for failing to enforce the standards required to compel telecom operators to enhance connectivity nationwide.
They highlighted serious concerns, including dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and network outages, which pose significant risks to lives and property during emergencies.
This resolution emerged from an urgent motion put forth by Ahmadu Jaha, the Member of the House representing the Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency. During the plenary session, Jaha emphasised the importance of telecommunications as a critical infrastructure that supports various sectors such as business, education, finance, and social interactions. He lamented that service quality has not kept pace with the increasing number of subscribers.
Jaha pointed out that poor connectivity disrupts personal communications and commercial activities, leading consumers to incur high data service costs despite unreliable connections and frequent outages. He also stressed the need for better customer support systems, noting that unresolved complaints and unreliable service can significantly hinder emergency responses in critical situations like medical emergencies and accidents.
He further noted that insufficient infrastructure development poses a significant challenge, especially in densely populated urban areas and underprivileged rural communities, where congestion persists.
Supporting Jaha’s motion, George Ozodinobi, the deputy minority whip of the House, accused telecom companies of prioritising profits over the quality of service. He also criticised the NCC for its regulatory inaction.
Despite the telecom sector growing to over 200 million active lines, lawmakers noted that inadequate infrastructure, unreliable power supply, excessive taxation, and vandalism continue to undermine service delivery.
In light of these challenges, the House has directed the NCC to enforce stricter quality-of-service standards. It has plans to set up an ad hoc committee to probe the underlying causes of poor telecom services across Nigeria.
