ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Federal Government has cautioned telecommunications operators against poor service delivery, warning that firms that fail to improve network quality could face regulatory sanctions.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, stressing that Nigerians deserve value for money spent on telecom services.
He said the Nigerian Communications Commission had been empowered to enforce industry standards and sanction operators that fail to meet required service levels.
“Going forward, we expect to see clear and measurable improvements in call quality, data performance, and coverage,” the minister said.
“Where operators deliver, it will be recognised. Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take appropriate regulatory action.”
The warning comes amid growing complaints from subscribers over dropped calls, poor internet connectivity, slow data speeds, and frequent service disruptions across major networks in Nigeria.
Tijani said the Federal Government had already introduced reforms aimed at stabilising the telecommunications sector and improving operators’ financial sustainability.
According to him, telecom firms are now operating in a more transparent and market-driven environment, with many returning to profitability.
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“As a result, operators are now operating in a more stable, transparent, and market-driven environment and have returned to profitability,”
he stated. “This is important as it means operators now have both the capacity and the resources to fix outstanding issues within their networks and improve the quality of service delivered to Nigerians.”
The minister said telecom operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and T2, now have the responsibility to improve service quality nationwide.
“Let me therefore be clear, the conditions required for improved service delivery have now been established,” he said. “It is now the responsibility of telecom operators such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and T2 to take all necessary steps to resolve network challenges and deliver the level of service Nigerians expect.”
Tijani explained that the government had adopted a two-pronged strategy to address connectivity challenges, beginning with long-term investments in digital infrastructure.
He said the Federal Government had secured funding led by the World Bank under Project BRIDGE to expand fibre infrastructure nationwide, while additional tower deployments and satellite expansion plans were also ongoing.
“We have secured funding, led by the World Bank, and established the framework for a special purpose vehicle with Project BRIDGE, to deliver nationwide open access fibre infrastructure,” the statement read.
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“Deployment of fibre will commence, alongside new tower rollouts through NUCAP, before the end of the year, even as we also expand our satellite capability.”
According to the minister, the investments are expected to close infrastructure gaps within the next two to five years and improve internet access for homes and businesses.
Tijani also linked reforms in the telecom sector to broader economic policies of the Federal Government, including fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.
“We took a hard look at the sustainability of the telecommunications sector and made the necessary decisions to restore it,” he said.
“This included allowing tariff adjustments, alongside broader reforms such as the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, efforts to harmonise taxes, and macroeconomic reforms including the floating of the naira and the removal of fuel subsidies.”
He added that the government would continue monitoring telecom operators through periodic reports from the NCC and feedback from Nigerians.
“Nigerians should begin to see improvements in Quality of Service and get the value that they pay for now and in the future,” he stated.
The development follows earlier directives by the NCC asking mobile network operators to compensate subscribers in areas where network quality falls below approved standards.