NCC reassures Nigerians of transparent, consumer-friendly telecom sector

…Active Telecom Subscribers Hit 171m

…Internet Users Now 141m

…Broadband Subscribers Reach 105m

By Emmanuel Elebeke

Abuja — The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, consumer empowerment and innovation as the telecommunications sector continues its rapid evolution.

Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, gave the assurance in Abuja on Monday at a stakeholder engagement forum, where he highlighted major strides made by the sector in the last two decades as well as fresh regulatory efforts to protect subscribers and promote industry growth.

According to him, Nigeria currently has 171 million active telecom subscribers, 141 million internet users — representing 81.9 per cent penetration — and 105 million broadband subscriptions.

“These figures reflect our steady progress and the growing integration of digital services in every aspect of our daily lives,” Dr Maida stated.

He explained that the commission’s regulatory stance has evolved from traditional rule-making and enforcement to one centred on promoting healthy competition, encouraging corporate governance and enhancing transparency through information disclosure.

“Our priority now is to ensure that consumers have access to accurate information that will enable them make informed choices, while also holding operators accountable for service quality,” he said.

To boost transparency, Maida said the commission has introduced new initiatives such as public release of operator performance scorecards, a major incident reporting portal, a real-time public map of network quality, and quarterly quality-of-service reports based on independent data.

He further noted that the NCC remains committed to addressing ongoing Quality of Service concerns, assuring stakeholders that operators are already installing newly delivered equipment to improve service delivery, despite logistics challenges.

Beyond network performance, Maida revealed that the commission has teamed up with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to tackle the frequent issue of failed recharge and airtime top-up transactions. He disclosed that a joint task force has drawn up a standardized operational framework — currently undergoing legal review — to strengthen dispute resolution and enhance customer experience.

On the widely held perception of fast-depleting data bundles, the EVC said independent audits by PwC and KPMG have exposed no systemic data theft by telecom operators. Rather, confusing tariff structures were identified as key culprits. Consequently, the NCC has released a tariff simplification guideline to ensure greater transparency for consumers.

Director of the NCC Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs Freda Bruce-Bennett, also shared tips to help Nigerians manage their data more efficiently. These include disabling automatic video play on social media apps, shutting down background data for inactive apps, and blocking intrusive ads.

Earlier in her remarks, Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Nnenna Ukoha, emphasized the important role of the media in keeping Nigerians informed about the NCC’s policies and programmes.

She reiterated the commission’s openness to collaboration with all stakeholders — including journalists, consumers and operators — to create a more inclusive, transparent and digitally empowered Nigeria.

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