Telecom
Fashola Berates NCC for Defending Telcos Poor Qos Provisioning
Mr Babatunde Fashola, minister of Works, has slammed the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), for openly protecting telecoms companies over increasing cases of dropped calls.
Fashola, said that government over the past 20 years had divested in state assets, adding that laws had also been made within the period to ensure adequate regulations and that the regulatory agency had enormous powers and must have a different nationalistic mindset if it must succeed.
The minister was at thepublic hearing on a motion titled: “Increasing rate of drop calls and other unwholesome practices by telecom network operators in Nigeria that had robbed Nigerians of their hard earned billions of Naira.”
The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Communications in Abuja.
According to Fashola,, the defence of double taxation by the state and federal governments on telecoms companies is ill-conceived, saying that such should not be coming from NCC that should regulate the companies.
He further dispelled the claim by NCC that there were poor power supply to the telecoms companies, reminding the senate that telecoms companies were asked to purchase their powers directly from the generating companies and bypass the distribution companies, yet they refused.
The minister, who was visibly angry over the submissions made by the NCC, urged the senate to invite more technical people to help them understand what was actually happening with regards to the drop calls.
He revealed that at the onset of telecoms deregulation, the telecoms companies were asked to co-locate their cables, masts and installations, for better security, cheaper right of way and to avoid cutting of cables by contractors, but they refused and rather went to court to challenge government.
He said the head of the regulatory agency must be on the side of Nigerians, while encouraging investors.
According to him, it is a question of service delivery to Nigerians.
The NCC had accused the Federal Ministry of Works of contracting construction of projects to contractors who cut cables of telecom companies, resulting into the drop calls.
Mr Bako Wakil, director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, said telecoms service providers had become victims of multiple taxation by states and Federal Government.
He also cited cases of vandalism of telecoms installations by criminals due to insecurity. He said with the overstretched subscribers base, it was not easy for telecom service providers to provide the required capacity of infrastructure to adequately cover the country. He further blamed the state and federal governments for the high cost of right of ways, saying that in some states it is N5,000 per meter, while it could be higher in some others.
He stated that in a particular month, they recorded 1,065 fiber cable cuts, even as he listed banditry, intermittent shutdown of service stations, poor power supply as part of the causes of drop calls, noting that such challenges happened only in Nigeria. However, responding to the above claims by the NCC director, the
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
Nigeria’s corporate elite gathered recently to bid farewell to one of the nation’s most influential business titans, Dr. Pascal Gabriel Dozie.
The Nigerian Exchange Group’s headquarters in Marina, Lagos, played host to an ‘Afternoon of Tributes’ that saw industry captains, financial moguls, and family members celebrate the extraordinary legacy of a man who helped reshape Nigeria’s economic landscape.
MTN Nigeria Chairman, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, captured the mood of the gathering when he described the late Dozie as “a visionary leader, a true patriot, and a trailblazer” whose impact continues to reverberate across Nigeria’s business terrain.
“Thanks to his remarkable foresight and unwavering dedication, MTN Nigeria didn’t just find its footing—it soared,” Ndukwe told the distinguished audience.
“Today, it stands not only as the largest telecommunications company in the country but also as one of the most highly valued corporations on the NGX Premium Board.”
The symbolic bell-ringing ceremony—a highlight of the event—paid homage to Dozie’s pivotal role in transforming both Nigeria’s capital market and telecommunications sector.
Speaker after speaker painted the portrait of a man whose influence transcended conventional boundaries. Beyond founding Diamond Bank and steering MTN Nigeria to unprecedented heights, Dozie was celebrated for embodying the rare combination of business acumen and ethical leadership.
Throughout the afternoon, the late business icon was remembered not merely as a successful entrepreneur but as a nation-builder whose contributions spanned critical sectors from banking and telecoms to public policy and education.
More than his corporate achievements, however, it was Dozie’s personal qualities that dominated tributes—his uncompromising integrity, innovative thinking, disarming humility, and lifelong commitment to service.
As the event concluded, it became clear that the gathering was more than a memorial—it was a celebration of possibilities, a testament to what can be achieved when purpose meets passion and when leadership is firmly rooted in service to others.
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