Telecommunication operators in Nigeria have come under intense pressure as the federal government has laid down strict mandate for improved service delivery.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, stated emphatically that time for excuses are over, stressing that the conditions for improved service are now established.
Tijani, in a notice posted on his X, on Sunday, stressed that the government had already secured World Bank-led funding for Project BRIDGE, a nationwide open-access fibre infrastructure rollout, along with new towers under NUCAP and expanded satellite capability.
These investments in the sector, he noted are expected to transform connectivity within two to five years, and ensure that Nigerians, from small business owners to households, can access reliable, high-speed Internet services without depending solely on unstable mobile connections.
According to him, “at the same time, immediate stabilisation measures have been introduced, including tariff adjustments, tax harmonisation, and the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national assets”.
He added that broader reforms such as naira floating and removal of fuel subsidy created more transparent, market-driven environment, restoring profitability to the operators.
The Minister stressed that responsibility now lies squarely with MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and 9mobile to fix the lingering network challenges.
“The conditions required for improved service delivery have now been established. It is now the responsibility of telecom operators to resolve network challenges and deliver the level of service Nigerians expect,” Tijani said.
He emphasised that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been empowered to enforce service standards without interference, relying on periodic reports and citizens feedback to hold operators accountable.
The Minister said Nigerians should expect measurable improvements in call quality, data performance, and coverage in the coming months.
According to him, “Nigerians should begin to see improvements in Quality of Service and get value that they paid for now, and in the future. And we will ensure that the sector delivers.”
At the moment, telecom subscribers have started receiving airtime refund, as compensation for poor service experienced between November 2025 and January 2026.
The refunds started on April 24, with subscribers receiving as low as N20 and as much as N1,000, and which is based on the particular local government area, the service disruption was observed.
The commission also directed tower companies responsible for many of the outages to channel their compensation obligations into upgrading tower infrastructure.
The investments, separate from their yearly capital plans, will be monitored by independent auditors to ensure compliance.
The Executive Vice -Chairman, NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, emphasised that performance is now measured at the local government level, allowing the regulator to capture variations in network experience across the country much better.
“What we have now adopted is to carry out the assessment at local government levels,” Maida said. “This ensures that whatever we measure is as close as possible to what subscribers actually experience.”
Under this framework, operators are evaluated across multiple network layers—2G, 3G, and 4G—against key performance indicators set out in the commission’s quality of service regulations.
Where operators fall short, penalties are imposed, part of which is now being redirected as compensation to affected users.
