Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation and
digital economy, has asked telecommunications operators to improve service
quality, warning of regulatory actions against defaulters.
Speaking on telecoms service quality in a statement on
Sunday, Tijani said operators are now functioning in a more stable and
market-driven environment and have returned to profitability following reforms
introduced by the federal government to stabilise the sector.
“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,” he said.
“Let me therefore be clear, the conditions required for
improved service delivery have 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.”
Tijani said the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has
been fully empowered to monitor operators, enforce service standards, and
ensure compliance across the industry.
He said the government would rely on the NCC’s periodic
reports and feedback from Nigerians to track improvements in network
performance.
“Going forward, we expect to see clear and measurable
improvements in call quality, data performance, and coverage,” the minister
said.
“Where operators deliver, it will be recognised.
“Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take
appropriate regulatory action.”
Tunji said “Nigerians should begin to see improvements in
quality of service and get value that they paid for now, and in the future”.
‘FIBRE DEPLOYMENT, TOWER ROLLOUT TO COMMENCE BEFORE YEAR
END’
The minister said the country’s connectivity challenges were
largely structural and driven by years of underinvestment in infrastructure.
He said the government had moved to address the challenges
through long-term infrastructure investments and immediate reforms aimed at
stabilising operators.
According to Tijani, the federal government has secured
funding led by the World Bank under ‘Project BRIDGE’ to support nationwide
open-access fibre infrastructure.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
He said the investments would address foundational gaps in
Nigeria’s digital infrastructure 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 said.
“That is the level of meaningful connectivity we are
building towards.”
Tijani said the government also implemented reforms to
restore sustainability in the telecom sector, including tariff adjustments,
designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, tax
harmonisation efforts, and broader macroeconomic reforms.
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