The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has ruled out any form of interference in the activities of the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, insisting that the Commission has been fully empowered, without interference, to carry out its regulatory mandate of monitoring performance, enforcing service standards, and ensuring compliance across the country’s telecommunications sector.

Speaking at the weekend through a statement he personally signed to update stakeholders on telecommunications service delivery, especially by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the Minister reiterated the position that it is now the responsibility of the MNOs comprising MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and T2 to take all necessary steps to resolve network challenges and provide quality services that meet the expectation of subscribers.

“Let me therefore be clear, the conditions required for improved service delivery have now been established.

“We will continue to rely on the Commission’s periodic reports to track network performance, as well as feedback from Nigerians, including complaints and experiences shared across public platforms, to engage both the NCC and operators even more actively in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

“Going forward, we expect to see clear and measurable improvements in call quality, data performance and coverage. Where operators deliver, it will be recognised. Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take appropriate regulatory action”, the Minister said.

He however expressed optimism that Nigerians should begin to see improvements in Quality of Service QoS, and get value that they paid for now, and in the future – And we will ensure that the sector delivers.

He recalled that on assumption of office in 2023, 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: “We have addressed this on two fronts; first, the long term structural solution. 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.

“Deployment of fibre will commence, alongside new tower rollouts through NUCAP, before the end of the year even as we also expand our satellite capability.

“These investments will address the foundational gaps in our digital infrastructure over the next 2 to 5 years and permanently transform connectivity across Nigeria.

“What this means in practical terms is simple. It is that a small business owner should be able to access reliable, high speed fibre internet directly at their home or shop, not relying solely on dongles or unstable mobile connections; that is the level of meaningful connectivity we are building towards.”

On stabilising, the sector, he said: “We took a hard look at the sustainability of the telecommunications sector and made the necessary decisions to restore it. This included allowing tariff adjustments, alongside broader reforms such as the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, harmonised taxes, and introduced some other macroeconomic reforms including the floating of the naira and the removal of fuel subsidies, and as a result, operators are now operating in a more stable, transparent, and market- driven environment and have returned to profitability.

“This is important as it means operators now have both the capacity and the resources to fix outstanding issues within their networks and improve the quality of service delivered to Nigerians.

“Let me therefore be clear, the conditions required for improved service delivery nave now been established. 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.

At the same time, the Nigerian Communications Commission, has been fully empowered, without interference, to carry out its mandate of monitoring performance, enforcing service standards, and ensuring compliance across the industry.

“We will continue to rely on the Commission’s periodic reports to track network performance, as well as feedback from Nigerians, including complaints and experiences shared across public platforms, to engage both the NCC and operators even more actively in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

“Going forward, we expect to see clear and measurable improvements in call quality, data performance and coverage. Where operators deliver, it will be recognised. Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take appropriate regulatory action.

“Nigerians should begin to see improvements in Quality of Service and get value they paid for now and in the future. Our pledge is to ensure that the sector delivers always.”