The Federal Government on Sunday issued a stern warning to telecommunications operators to urgently improve service delivery, insisting that Nigerians must get value for money amid persistent complaints of poor network quality across the country.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said the era of substandard telecom services must end, stressing that operators now have no excuse not to deliver improved connectivity.
Tijani, in a statement, said firms including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Globacom must take full responsibility for resolving lingering network failures affecting millions of subscribers.
He noted that while the present administration inherited deep-rooted structural challenges in the telecom sector, largely due to years of underinvestment in infrastructure, recent reforms have created a more stable operating environment for operators.
According to him, the government has implemented both short-term and long-term measures aimed at overhauling the nation’s digital ecosystem and closing infrastructure gaps responsible for poor service delivery.
On long-term interventions, the minister disclosed that the government had secured funding support from the World Bank and launched Project BRIDGE to drive nationwide fibre-optic expansion.
He added that fibre rollout and additional telecom tower deployment under the NUCAP initiative would commence before the end of the year, alongside efforts to boost satellite connectivity capacity.
Tijani expressed confidence that the investments would significantly improve network reliability and internet access within the next two to five years.
“We want a situation where a small business owner can access reliable, high-speed internet directly at home or in their shop, rather than depend on unstable mobile connections,” he said.
The minister also highlighted reforms such as tariff adjustments, designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national assets, and tax harmonisation policies, noting that these measures had restored profitability and stability in the sector.
With improved financial capacity and a more transparent regulatory environment, Tijani said operators must now prioritise quality service delivery.
He warned that the Nigerian Communications Commission had been empowered to independently monitor performance, enforce compliance, and sanction defaulting operators.
The minister added that the government would increasingly rely on regulatory data and consumer complaints to hold service providers accountable.
“Where operators deliver, it will be recognised, and where they fail, appropriate regulatory action will be taken,” he said.
Tijani maintained that Nigerians deserve reliable telecom services that reflect the cost of subscriptions, expressing optimism that noticeable improvements in call quality, data speed, and network coverage would be seen in the coming months.
FOLLOW US
FOR MORE HERE
