The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has restated its commitment to transparency, consumer protection and innovation as the country’s telecommunications industry continues to grow at pace.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at a stakeholder forum, the commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, said Nigeria now has 171 million active subscribers, 141 million internet users — representing 81.9% penetration — and 105 million broadband subscriptions.
“These figures reflect our steady progress and the growing integration of digital services in every aspect of our daily lives,” Maida said.
He explained that the NCC’s regulatory focus had shifted from traditional rule enforcement to fostering competition, improving corporate governance and ensuring consumers have access to clear information on service quality.
To strengthen accountability, the commission has rolled out new measures including public operator scorecards, a network quality map, an incident reporting portal and quarterly performance reports based on independent data.
Maida acknowledged ongoing concerns over network reliability but said operators were installing new equipment to address service gaps despite logistical hurdles. He also revealed a joint initiative with the Central Bank of Nigeria to resolve frequent complaints over failed airtime top-ups and recharge transactions, with a standardised framework already undergoing legal review.
On widespread frustrations about data depletion, Maida cited independent audits by PwC and KPMG, which found no systemic data theft by operators. Instead, he said, confusing tariff structures were to blame. The commission has since issued guidelines to simplify tariffs for subscribers.
Freda Bruce-Bennett, director of the NCC’s Consumer Affairs Bureau, offered practical tips for managing data use, including disabling auto-play videos on apps, restricting background activity and blocking intrusive ads.
Director of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, stressed the role of the media in shaping public awareness of telecom regulation, adding that the NCC remained open to collaboration with journalists, operators and consumers.
