The house of representatives ad hoc committee investigating poor telecom services has threatened to issue arrest warrants for chief executive officers (CEOs) of major telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria over their failure to appear before it.
The committee had summoned the heads of MTN Nigeria, Airtel
Nigeria, Globacom (Glo), Mafab Communications Limited, and other service
providers to appear before it on October 28.
The panel also directed the Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC) to ensure that the CEOs comply with the summons.
During the committee’s sitting on Wednesday, Gbenga Adebayo,
chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria
(ALTON), attempted to represent the telecom companies’ executives but was
rejected by the lawmakers.
Olumide Osoba, the committee’s chairman (APC, Ogun),
directed the chief executives to attend the session in person on November 4,
warning that failure to honour the summons could lead to the issuance of arrest
warrants.
Sunday Umeha (APC, Enugu), a member of the committee, said
the federal government individually licensed the telecommunications companies
and that they could not rely on their membership of an industry association to
avoid appearing before the legislature.
Umeha also faulted a letter reportedly written by ALTON that
questioned the committee’s authority to compel operators to attend the hearing.
“They see their appearance as a privilege to this committee
and not as a statutory obligation,” he said.
The lawmaker said section 88 of the constitution empowers
the national assembly to investigate matters within its legislative purview,
such as telecommunications services.
Akin Rotimi, the house spokesperson, raised the alarm over
inadequate network coverage in parts of Ekiti, saying that signal blackouts in
some communities and along major roads could pose grave security risks.
He alleged that two traditional rulers in his constituency
were killed in an ambush along a road where mobile network coverage was
unavailable.
The lawmaker said these connectivity gaps could leave
residents and commuters unable to alert security agencies or summon emergency
help in life-threatening situations.
On October 20, NCC said 75 million subscribers have received
airtime compensation for poor telecom service in 2026.
The regulator said the intervention under the consumer
compensation framework is expected to translate into better connectivity for
consumers.
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