Nigeria’s House of Representatives has blamed weak regulatory oversight by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the country’s persistent poor telecom service quality.
The house accused the regulator of failing to enforce standards capable of compelling operators to improve connectivity nationwide.
Dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and network outages pose risks to lives and property, particularly during emergencies, lawmakers warned.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Ahmadu Jaha, Member of the House of Representatives for the Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency.
Speaking during plenary, Jaha described telecommunications as critical infrastructure supporting businesses, education, finance, and social interaction in Nigeria, but said service quality has failed to keep pace with rising subscriber demand.
He noted that poor connectivity continues to disrupt personal communication and commercial activities, while consumers face high costs for data services despite unstable connections and frequent service interruptions.
The lawmaker also highlighted inadequate customer support systems, arguing that unresolved complaints and unreliable networks often undermine emergency response during medical emergencies, accidents, and fires.
Insufficient infrastructure expansion remains a major challenge, especially in densely populated urban centres and underserved rural communities where network congestion persists, according to Jaha.
Supporting the motion, George Ozodinobi, deputy minority whip of the House of Representatives, accused telecom operators of prioritising profit over service quality while faulting the NCC for regulatory complacency.
Despite growth to over 200 million active lines, inadequate infrastructure, unreliable power supply, multiple taxation, and vandalism continue to weaken telecom service delivery, lawmakers say.
The House subsequently directed the NCC to enforce stricter quality-of-service standards and plans to establish an ad-hoc committee to investigate the root causes of poor telecom services across the country.
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