Telecom
NCC to Deploy Revenue Assurance Solution to Block Leakages
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it will implement the Revenue Assurance Solution (RAS) to monitor revenue generated in a bid to block leaks in its Annual Operating Fee (AOL).
Professor Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice President (EVC) of the NCC, revealed this on Friday in Abuja, during an interactive session with stakeholders on the deployment of RAS in the Nigerian telecom industry.
Speaking about the importance of RAS to the nation’s economy, Danbatta said it would allow the commission to determine how much its licensees generate annually.
He explained that the technological solution would not wait for licensees to submit information to the commission before determining what they must pay as AOL.
“The official burden of deployment will fall on the operators. This project relieves the commission of the initial official burden that will be required for the deployment of the RAS project.
“It will also ensure that the revenue generated by the precise network operators is tracked, analyzed and used for the benefit of the industry. Beyond revenue assurance, when implemented NCC RAS will bring many solutions to the industry,” he said.
He added that the solution would include more effective and improved control and regulation of licensed telecom operators.
The EVC said the commission believed that implementing a proper revenue assurance solution would lend higher levels of integrity and fidelity to AOL’s numbers than are obtainable in the industry.
He said that the RAS would allow the NCC to validate information, records and data supplied to it from time to time, among others.
“This is in addition to plugging possible loopholes and leaks in the revenue calculation and collection processes. AOL is a very important tool in the regulation of the telecommunications industry. In Nigeria, the importance of AOL is well expressed in the Nigerian Communications Act of 2003.
“AOL can be described as the main root of an efficient and effective telecommunications regulatory environment. AOL’s charging and computation mechanisms are of interest and importance both to the regulator and to the operating networks”, he said.
He explained that various efforts had been made to achieve a highly effective administration of AOL, in accordance with the commission’s powers under Section 72 of the NCA Act 2003.
He reported that one of these key efforts includes the preparation of the 2014 Regulation, which is also currently under review.
According to him, some of the main objectives of the AOL Regulations, as provided in Part 1 (2) of the AOL Regulations of 2014, are: “To create and provide a regulatory framework for the effective and efficient administration of the regime of the Annual Operating Tax and all matters related thereto;
“Stipulate the mode and methods of evaluation of the Annual Operating Tax and the modes of payment thereof; specify rules and guiding principles for the administration of the annual operating tax regime.
He also said that the size of the Nigerian telecom industry and the revenue events involving operators, demands an effective, accurate and technology-driven revenue assurance solution that NCC-RAS represents.
He said that proper revenue assurance systems have resulted in increased revenues and plugging of leaks and that modern revenue assurance systems have proven to be equipped with additional capabilities to generate and analyze information beyond that required for revenue calculation. .
“The system is designed to be connected to the systems of licensed telecommunications operators. You’ll have the ability to capture and report billing activities in near real-time for purposes, among others.
“Calculate and secure with a minimum margin of error, if any, the accumulated AOL payable to the NCC,” he said.
He advised Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) that might need data not to duplicate efforts but to go to the NCC to obtain it.
“This effort may be relevant for FIRS to pay taxes, there is no need to duplicate this government effort.
“So the essence is to ensure smooth cooperation from all the MDAs that require the kind of data that we will get from this effort. Which is for the calculation of other levies, operating tax levies that are supposed to be paid to the government.
“The benefits of this exercise are very long and that is why the Federal Government attaches great importance to this effort,” he said.
The Nigerian News Agency reports that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved the RAS project through the Design, Fice, Build, Operate and Transfer (DFBOT) Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The transaction received the ICRC Certificate of Compliance in accordance with the Provisions of the ICRC Act 2005 on December 17, 2021.
NAN
Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN) has asked the Court of Appeal to suspend the enforcement of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 (DEON Regulations).
WASPAN warned that the implementation before the determination of its appeal could expose telecom value-added service providers to sanctions and disrupt their operations.
Millions of subscribers across the country rely on borrowed airtime to communicate.
Seun Sofoluwe, an Abeokuta, Ogun State resident, said another interruption would have severe consequences for many Nigerians who depend on airtime and data lending services for their daily communication needs.
“A lot of people depend on the services, and it will be very bad for them, especially those who are so reliant on it that they do debt-to-debt servicing,” he said.
Debt-to-debt servicing refers to the practice of repaying an outstanding airtime loan immediately to qualify for another advance, underscoring the extent to which some subscribers depend on the facility to remain connected.
Sofoluwe’s concerns echo the experience of Lagos-based employee Farouk Rabiu, who recounted the hardship caused by the six-month suspension of airtime lending services before they were restored.
“I was devastated because, after exhausting my data, I was hoping to borrow credit to access my bank account. Instead, it was a major disappointment,” Rabiu had said after the services resumed.
Adding another dimension to the debate, Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said the earlier disruption showed that airtime credit had evolved far beyond a conventional telecommunications offering.
“What this episode demonstrated is that airtime credit is not a financial product in the way regulators initially characterised it. It is economic infrastructure that approximately 40 million people use regularly, with the vast majority of them at the base of the economy,” Adebayo said.
WASPAN, which represents licensed value-added service providers, has asked the Court of Appeal to restrain the FCCPC from enforcing the DEON Regulations pending the hearing of its appeal against the July 20 judgment of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The association argued that immediate enforcement would expose operators to sanctions, create regulatory uncertainty and disrupt telecom-enabled services, including airtime credit and data advances, used daily by millions of Nigerians.
The FCCPC, however, has defended the resumption of enforcement, insisting the regulations are intended to sanitise the digital lending industry, curb predatory debt recovery practices, protect consumer data and eliminate illegal digital lenders.
The Court of Appeal is expected to determine whether enforcement of the regulations should remain suspended while it considers WASPAN’s appeal, a decision that could shape the future of telecom-based digital lending services and determine whether subscribers continue to enjoy uninterrupted access to airtime and data credit.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have entered into a partnership to deploy renewable energy solutions for telecommunications infrastructure in rural and underserved communities, a move expected to reduce operators’ energy costs and improve network availability.
Abraham Oshadami, executive commissioner for Technical Services at the NCC, disclosed this during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Abuja.
According to Oshadami, the NCC-REA Stakeholder Forum and MoU signing ceremony will enable telecom base stations located near mini-grids to access cleaner and more affordable electricity, reducing their reliance on diesel-powered generators.
He said the agreement came at a time when telecom operators are facing rising operational costs due to increased spending on diesel to power network sites amid unreliable electricity supply from the national grid.
The partnership reflects the growing relationship between the power and telecommunications sectors, as both rely on each other to deliver essential services.
Oshadami explained that while telecom infrastructure requires a steady power supply to remain operational, digital connectivity also supports electricity services such as smart metering, electronic payments and remote customer management.
According to him, the collaboration is aimed at improving access to reliable electricity and telecommunications services, particularly in remote communities where inadequate power supply has slowed digital inclusion.
He said both agencies had identified telecom base stations located within one to two kilometres of existing mini-grids, allowing the implementation of the initiative to begin immediately.
“Where mini-grids exist, we are able to identify nearby base stations and connect them to those power sources,” Oshadami said.
He added that future mini-grid projects would be planned with telecommunications infrastructure in mind, ensuring that electricity investments also support the expansion of digital services.
Telecom
Ex-Pan African Towers CEO Alleges DPI, Verod Using Court Suit to Pressure Him in $30m Buyout Dispute
A fresh twist has emerged in the legal disputes surrounding the acquisition of Pan African Towers (PAT), with the company’s former Chief Executive Officer, Azeez Amida, alleging that a lawsuit filed against him is retaliatory and intended to pressure him over an ongoing $30 million management buyout dispute.
Pan African Towers
The allegation is contained in Amida’s Statement of Defence and Witness Statement filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos in response to claims instituted by Pan African Towers.
According to the court filings, Amida argued that the latest suit should be viewed within the context of several pending disputes involving the company’s shareholders, including Development Partners International (DPI), Verod Capital Growth Fund III LP and African Development Partners International LLP.
The defence stated that Amida had already commenced separate legal proceedings against the investors over the management buyout transaction, seeking damages exceeding $30 million, while also pursuing claims against Pan African Towers arising from a Mutual Separation Agreement executed after his departure from the company.
He alleged that instead of filing substantive responses to those actions, Pan African Towers initiated fresh proceedings at the Federal High Court over expenditure approvals and procurement decisions made during his tenure as chief executive.
Amida maintained that the action was retaliatory and intended to exert pressure on him in relation to the earlier disputes.
The defence further explained that he had deliberately distanced himself from final expenditure approvals during his time as CEO because of disagreements over procurement practices and governance issues involving the board and shareholders.
According to the filings, following the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), financial approval responsibilities were structured to ensure the CFO retained final approval authority, while the CEO’s role was limited to endorsing requests that had already undergone departmental reviews.
The defence argued that many of the transactions now being challenged were processed through that governance framework, with approvals passing through the Finance and Human Resources departments before payment.
It added that the CFO, who remains with the company and has since been promoted, exercised the final approval authority over the disputed expenditures.
Amida also contended that the transactions cited in the lawsuit were not unilateral decisions but formed part of the company’s established governance and approval procedures involving multiple departments, executive management and, where necessary, the board.
According to the defence, documentary evidence, including internal emails, approval workflows and payment records, would be presented during the trial to support those claims.
The filings further stated that hospitality expenses, investor engagement costs and related business expenditures challenged in the suit were incurred in the ordinary course of business, known to directors and shareholders, reimbursed through established procedures and reflected in the company’s audited financial statements.
Amida also argued that the allegations only surfaced after his exit from the company despite extensive internal reviews conducted before both parties executed a Mutual Separation Agreement in November 2024.
He maintained that the agreement required any allegations of misappropriation unrelated to released assets to be investigated, supported by credible evidence and communicated to him within six months, with an opportunity to respond before legal proceedings could commence.
In a separate application, Amida challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, arguing that the dispute arose from his employment relationship and the Mutual Separation Agreement, matters he said fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court.
He also argued that a related case remains pending before the National Industrial Court and that the Federal High Court proceedings amount to an abuse of court process.
The defence indicated that it would rely on a range of documentary evidence during the trial, including audited financial statements, board communications, internal approval emails, banking records, employment documents, shareholder communications and the Mutual Separation Agreement.
The Federal High Court is yet to rule on the substantive claims or the preliminary jurisdictional objections.
While Pan African Towers’ allegations remain before the court, Amida has denied any wrongdoing and maintained that the action forms part of a broader pattern of litigation connected to the acquisition of the company.
The court is expected to determine the merits of the claims after hearing both parties.
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