The Federal Government has warned telecommunications operators in the country, including Airtel Nigeria, MTN Nigeria, Globacom and 9mobile, that they risk regulatory sanctions if they fail to urgently improve the quality of their services across the country.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, issued the warning in a statement on Sunday, stressing that ongoing reforms in the sector were not designed to excuse poor performance but to strengthen accountability and service delivery.
Tijani said Nigeria’s long-standing connectivity challenges were structural, rooted in years of underinvestment in critical infrastructure and operational constraints that had hindered telecom operators from delivering reliable services.
According to him, the Federal Government had already embarked on wide-ranging interventions aimed at stabilising the sector and restoring investor confidence.
“When we assumed office, it was clear that Nigeria’s connectivity challenges were structural, driven by years of underinvestment in infrastructure and constraints that limited the ability of operators to deliver quality service,” he said.
He explained that the government had pursued both long-term and immediate solutions, including securing funding support led by the World Bank for the deployment of nationwide fibre infrastructure under the Project BRIDGE initiative.
He added that the rollout of fibre infrastructure, alongside new telecommunications towers under NUCAP, would commence before the end of the year, while satellite connectivity expansion was also being intensified.
On immediate reforms, the minister said the government had stabilised the industry through tariff adjustments, tax harmonisation efforts, and the designation of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, all aimed at improving sector viability.
“These measures have restored operator profitability and created a more transparent, market-driven environment, giving telcos the capacity to invest in network improvements,” Tijani said.
He, however, insisted that the responsibility now lies with operators to ensure improved service delivery to Nigerians.
“It is now the responsibility of telecom operators such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and 9mobile to take all necessary steps to resolve network challenges and deliver the level of service Nigerians expect,” he stated.
The minister further noted that the Nigerian Communications Commission had been fully empowered to monitor compliance, enforce service standards, and impose sanctions on defaulting operators.
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