Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has warned telecommunications operators to improve service delivery or face regulatory sanctions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Speaking in a recent statement , Tijani said telecom operators are now operating in a more stable environment after federal government reforms helped restore profitability across the sector.
According to him, operators now have the financial capacity to address long-standing network problems affecting millions of Nigerians.
“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,” he said.
The minister added that the NCC has been empowered to monitor operators closely, enforce service standards, and ensure compliance across the industry.
Tijani said the government would rely on periodic NCC reports and feedback from Nigerians to measure improvements in call quality, internet performance, and network coverage.
“Going forward, we expect to see clear and measurable improvements in call quality, data performance, and coverage,” he stated.
“Where operators deliver, it will be recognised. Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take appropriate regulatory action.”
He also assured Nigerians that they should begin to see better service quality and improved value for money.
Fibre Rollout, New Telecom Towers Planned
Tijani blamed Nigeria’s connectivity problems on years of underinvestment in digital infrastructure but said the federal government has begun major reforms and investments to address the challenges.
He disclosed that the government has secured funding led by the World Bank under “Project BRIDGE” to support nationwide open-access fibre infrastructure.
According to him, fibre deployment and new telecom tower rollouts under NUCAP will begin before the end of the year, alongside expansion of the country’s satellite capabilities.
“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,” Tijani said.
He explained that the investments are expected to close major digital infrastructure gaps within the next two to five years.
“A small business owner should be able to access reliable, high-speed fibre internet directly at their home or shop, not rely solely on dongles or unstable mobile connections,” he added.
The minister further noted that the federal government introduced reforms including telecom tariff adjustments, tax harmonisation efforts, macroeconomic reforms, and the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure to stabilise the sector.
