Telecom
Buhari to Query Secret Sale of Over $1Bn Telecom Spectrums
Incoming government of Muhammadu Buhari is to focus his searchlight on the circumstances surrounding the secret sale of Digital Dividend Spectrum (DDS) licences valued at over $1 billion in the last few months by President Goodluck Jonathan, according to the Leadership Newspaper.
According to the Leadership Newspaper, the licensing did not pass through the normal bidding process, thereby preventing the NCC, the statutory body, from advertising and supervising a public auction.
Already, one of the terms of reference handed to the Alhaji Ahmed Joda-led transition committee last week was to provide a brief overview of the goings-on at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), among other key government agencies, and provide quick-fixes within 30 days, 100 days and six months for the Buhari-led government.
According to an exclusive report published this week by online newspaper, Technology Times, ahead of the 2015 general elections, President Jonathan secretly sold two spectrums in the 800MH and 700MH to the chairman of Visafone, Mr Jim Ovia, and Otunba Mike Adenuga’s Globacom respectively without recourse to public auction.
Digital Dividend Spectrum allocation takes effect from 2015, in line with the dictate of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that television stations migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting from June 17, 2015.
DDS is released when television broadcasters switch from analog platforms to digital-only platforms; part of the electromagnetic spectrum that has been used for broadcasting will be freed up because digital TV needs fewer spectrums than analog television.
Already, the NCC is enmeshed in fresh crisis following the illegal and secret sale of a spectrum belonging to Nigerian Police to Open Skys Ltd as well as the secret sale of another spectrum to South African investors behind Smile Communications Ltd, one of the fourth generation network operators in the country.
According to the Leadership Newspaper, when contacted, the NCC director of public affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, said he could not comment on the matter.
“I don’t have any information on it,” he said.
However, a top official of the Commission said the spectrum allocation followed a directive from the president.
“If the president orders you to allocate a certain spectrum, who are you not to obey?” he asked. “The directive came from the president and even the minister of communications technology cannot disobey it.
“Under normal circumstances, for NCC to sell a spectrum it should be by auction. But this is a directive from above.
Another source said the deal was done under the table on the expectation that the president would win his re-election.
He said NCC collaborated with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on the belief that the proceeds of the sale of the spectrum licences would be deployed to fund the purchase of set-top boxes that would be used by Nigerians should the digital switchover take place on June 17, 2015.
The NBC has now shifted the switchover date to December 2017.
Calls to the spokesman of Globacom were not answered at the time of going to press.
Digital Dividend Spectrum is seen as a potential cash cow by telecom companies globally as it is used to deploy few base stations that provide voice, video and data communications at the highest broadband speeds.
A top telecom expert said the market had been bastardised, systematically distorted and disrupted whilst the investors are left guessing about the value of their investments.
“The president lacks the power under the law to make spectrum allocation,” he asserted. “The president can make policy, in the way provided for by the law, and ensure that those he appoints follow such public policy. Regulators are created around the world in order to protect players in the market, i.e. protect consumers of service, protect investors/operators and deliver government policy.
“The regulators are deliberately designed to be independent so that there is no political interference in their functions. The president or the minister is not to interfere with the functions of the regulator; in fact, section 25(2) of the NCC Act prohibits minister and, by extension the president, from interfering in NCC functions, and requires the minister and by extension president to ensure that NCC functions are independent of any political interference.”
According to the Leadership Newspaper, Dr Bashir Gwandu, a former executive commissioner at NCC, gave an interview in February 2012 highlighting what they had achieved at the ITU World Radio Communication Conference 2012 which led to the securing of additional 70MHz paired spectrum and 25MHz unpaired in the bands 700/850MHz, which span 700MHz, 800MHz and 900MHz Bands from the ITU .
It was the same spectrum whose allocation was secured by Dr Gwandu and his African team from the UN body that is in the spotlight again. In fact, it was the resistance of Gwandu to underselling, without competition, of part of the 800MHz and 450MHz that eventually led to his sack by President Jonathan.
Gwandu’s sack has since been declared illegal in the National Industrial Court ruling on Dr Bashir Gwandu v President, FRN (Jonathan) on January 21, 2014 where N100 million damages were awarded to Gwandu.
Of the three bands, the 800MHz, which had already been sold in controversial circumstances, was the one for which Gwandu was suppressed for attempting to blow the whistle.
He stood against the under-selling of a 10MHz slot in the 800MHz spectrum band to a South African company called Smile Communications Ltd at about €13 million only, when the exact equivalent spectrums were sold in Germany, Italy, France and UK for €1.153 billion, €992 million, €891 million and €631 million respectively, the UK earning slightly lower amount due to imposed strict coverage obligations.
In a related development, Belgium, a country of just 11 million people, raised €120million for each of the three slots of the 800MHz spectrum, generating a revenue of €360million.
And in a rather complicated mixture of 4G Spectrum slots, the Netherlands was only recently able to raise €3.8 billion from the 4G auction. So, each of the 10MHz paired spectrum slots in the 800MHz bands secured over a billion dollars for some countries in Europe.
The spectrum that was secured by Gwandu, totalling 70MHz duplex and 25MHz simplex, was 30MHz Duplex in the 700MHz band, 30MHz Duplex in the 800MHz band, 10MHz Duplex in the 900MHz band as well as 25MHz in the 700MHz simplex.
In particular, the specific bands are 703-733/758-788MHz, 791-721/832-862MHz, 880-890/925-935MHz, as well as 733-758MHz Simplex.
According to experts, each of the seven slots of 10MHz will fetch no less than $1billion in Germany for example.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecommunications operators to make dedicated budgetary provisions for cybersecurity as part of efforts to strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s communications infrastructure against the growing wave of cyber threats.
The directive forms part of the Commission’s Cyber Resilience Framework for the Nigerian Communications Sector (CRF-NCS), which introduces new governance, risk management and operational requirements aimed at safeguarding the country’s critical telecommunications infrastructure from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
Under the framework, all licensed telecom operators are expected to establish formal cybersecurity governance structures, dedicate adequate financial resources to cyber resilience programmes, and integrate cybersecurity into their enterprise-wide risk management processes.
The Commission said operators must ensure cybersecurity investments are no longer treated as optional operational expenses but as strategic business priorities necessary to protect network infrastructure, customer information and the country’s digital economy.
According to the NCC, licensees are expected to allocate sufficient budgets to support cyber risk assessments, security technologies, staff training, incident response capabilities, continuous monitoring and compliance with regulatory requirements.
The framework also requires operators to designate senior executives responsible for cybersecurity oversight.
At the same time, boards of directors are expected to provide strategic direction and ensure adequate funding for cyber resilience initiatives.
Speaking on the need for a stronger cybersecurity regime during the unveiling of the framework, Abraham Oshadami, executive commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, said, “Given the increasing digitalisation of services, the rapid growth of data exchange, and the sophisticated nature of modern cyber threats, the need for a robust, adaptive and inclusive cybersecurity framework has become more urgent.”
He added, “Both state and non-state actors are targeting essential sectors—including ours—through coordinated cyber and physical attacks. These attacks frequently target control systems and data integrity, underscoring the critical risks posed to operational technology (OT), especially in our sector.”
“As cyber threats evolve, they endanger not only system performance but also human safety, amplifying the severity and consequences of disruptions to vital communications infrastructure. Cybersecurity now encompasses human safety and must address the real risk to people’s lives when a system is attacked or compromised.”
The Commission further stated that operators are required to develop comprehensive cybersecurity implementation plans, conduct periodic risk assessments, establish business continuity and disaster recovery procedures, and regularly test their cyber defence capabilities.
In addition, the framework makes cyber incident reporting compulsory. Licensees must inform the NCC’s CSIRT of any major cybersecurity breach within four hours of discovery, and provide a thorough post-incident analysis after mitigation is complete.
Digital solution provider, Globacom has recorded the highest Internet subscriber growth among Nigeria’s major telecom companies for the month of May.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Nigeria’s total Internet users increased to 157 million in May, up from 154.3 million in April. That is a growth of 2.67 million users in one month.
Globacom led the market by adding about 1.2 million new Internet subscribers. This means Glo was responsible for almost half of all new Internet users in May.
The company’s subscriber base grew from 15.5 million in April to 16.8 million in May. Airtel came second with 1.07 million new users, moving from 54.8 million to 55.8 million. MTN added 382,894 users to reach 83.5 million.
T2 Mobile, formerly 9mobile, recorded no growth for the second month in a row. Its subscriber base remained at 802,534. This is despite its roaming agreement with MTN, which was approved almost a year ago to help T2 customers use MTN’s network in areas with poor coverage.
Industry experts say Glo’s strong growth is due to its ongoing network upgrade. Since last year, the company has been building new base stations, expanding its fibre network, and adding thousands of new 4G sites across cities and rural areas.
The upgrades have improved voice and data quality for customers, while Globacom remain committed to providing better network experience and affordable Internet services to more Nigerians.
MTN Nigeria’s half-year 2026 performance reflects more than revenue growth, highlighting the wider economic activity generated through tax payments, infrastructure investment and shareholder returns.
Kadri, MTN CFO
Beyond its financial results, the telecommunications operator said it continues to channel substantial resources into expanding network infrastructure, meeting statutory obligations and delivering value across its stakeholder ecosystem.
The company disclosed that it paid more than ₦600 billion in taxes, customs duties, regulatory levies and other statutory obligations over the past year.
It also invested over ₦1.6 trillion in capital expenditure since January 2025 to expand network capacity and improve service quality, while declaring an interim dividend of ₦26 per share for shareholders.
Speaking on Arise News’ Global Business Report, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Financial Officer, Modupe Kadri, explained that the company’s earnings are shared across several stakeholders before returns reach investors. “For every one naira of revenue, about 24 kobo becomes profit.
“The government receives over ₦600 billion through taxes and levies, operating costs account for a significant portion of our revenue, and every participant within the ecosystem benefits from the value we create,” he said.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), telecommunications remains one of the largest contributors to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, supporting digital financial services, education, healthcare, commerce and public services. Continued investment by operators has also been identified as critical to expanding broadband access and improving digital inclusion across the country.
Kadri noted that shareholder returns remain an important part of MTN’s capital allocation strategy, but stressed that they represent only one aspect of the company’s broader economic contribution.
“Even when we declare dividends, the government still receives withholding tax, while we continue investing heavily in our network because sustaining quality service requires ongoing capital commitment,” he said.
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