Telecom
NITDA Denies Allege Attempt To Circumvent 2017 Budget Implementation
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have described as false the information making the round on Social Media that the Agency is attempting to circumvent due process requirements in the implementation of the 2017 approved Budget.
In a press statement issued by Dr. Agu Collins Agu, director, Corporate Planning and Strategy, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), described the alleged false information as a typical example of disinformation aimed at discrediting the laudable efforts of the current management.
In a press statement released by the Agency reads as follows: “The Agency has, since assumption of office of the current Director General/CEO, been making frantic efforts at fighting all elements of corrupt practices within and outside the Agency,
“It is on record that in an effort to ensure transparency and accountability, the current Director General is the only Chief Executive in history that implemented almost 100 percent of the Auditor General for the Federation’s audit recommendations regarding irregularities in the Agency without being compelled;
“As a man of proven integrity who vowed to do all he can in supporting Mr President’s fight against corruption in all forms, both within and outside the Agency, the Director General sought the support of anti-corruption Agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC in fighting corruption in IT procurements in government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as well as other government establishments;
“It may be of interest to note that officials from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation visited the Agency last week and gave an excellent commendation to the Director General and the Management Team for their efforts at following due process as well as excellent documentation of all financial transactions;
“As for patronizing Galaxy Backbone, it is the Agency’s backup internet provider and when the Agency’s primary provider was down Galaxy upgraded its services to the Agency for 10 days at no extra cost;
“When NITDA’s primary provider cuts off its services, Galaxy was able to immediately upgrade the Agency’s pipe to fill the gaps;
“In an effort to set the record straight, in the Agency’s 2017 Budget, a provision of ninety five million naira (N95m) was approved for internet connectivity for its Headquarters, two annex offices in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt offices based on what the Agency has been paying its primary provider and its projected capacity upgrade.
“To our surprise, when the Agency contacted Galaxy Backbone to quote for the same Internet, it was found out Galaxy’s offer was 60% cheaper than what the Agency has been paying over the years.
“Thus, the Agency expanded the project’s specification to include some value added services that will make her to optimally use its Internet connectivity.
“As a result, the following were added to the Galaxy quotation to ensure full utilization of the provision. Video conferencing facility; IP Phones for two Annex offices in Abuja as well as Lagos and Port Harcourt offices; Network infrastructure to enable Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity between the Agency’s Headquarters and its other offices (two annex offices in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt), Technical Staff Training to ensure adequate capacity to effectively manage the infrastructure; and LAN audit.
“It is on record that so far no contract has been awarded in the Agency as a result of the Director General’s efforts of ensuring that due process has been followed;
“And the above therefore goes to show that what was circulated on the Social Media is a frantic effort of corruption fighting back. It should be noted that the Agency is encouraged by it and will continue its giant strides of fighting corruption.
“We thank all friends and well-wishers of the Agency for bringing this false information to our attention.
“This is the best way in ensuring that Mr President’s fight against corrupt practices succeeds.
“We want to restate our commitment to serve our country in the best interest of all.
“We promise to be fair and just to all Nigerians without discrimination or favour.
Telecommunication companies have threatened to withdraw their Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD), services from banks over what they called misinformation.
MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile- the telcos disclosed that the banks’ notice to their customers on the new billing system and airtime deductions for USSD services was misleading.
Also, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) also denied that the directive was from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
USSD is done via shortcodes on mobile phones and allows bank customers to make transactions in places with limited or no internet service.
Recall that banks earlier this week claimed that NCC has directed them to begin charging them from their airtime rather than from customers’ accounts.
The notice from the banks read in part: “In line with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), please be informed that effective June 3, 2025, charges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from your bank account.
“Going forward, these charges will be deducted directly from your mobile airtime balance in accordance with the NCC’s End-User Billing (EUB) model.
“Under this new billing structure, each USSD session will attract a charge of ?6.98 per 120 seconds, which will be billed by your mobile network operator.
“You will receive a consent prompt at the start of each session, and airtime will only be deducted upon your confirmation and availability of the bank to fulfil this service.
“If you do not wish to continue using USSD banking under this new model, you may choose to discontinue use of the USSD channel.”
Reacting, ALTON, umbrella body of telecom operators in Nigeria, said the banks’ notice is a gross misinformation deliberately hatched to suit their selfish interests.
Hence they threatened to withdraw network support to the banks’ USSD services.
Engr Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON told Vanguard: ” I don’t understand why the banks are twisting agreements and distorting information just to favour their selfish interests. In the first place, the information wasn’t a directive from the NCC but a joint regulatory agreement between the NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN witnessed by the telcos and the banks. The agreement was that if the banks finally cleared all USSD debts owed to the telcos by June 2, 2025, they are free to migrate to the end-user billing method, so long as the model of migration is transparent and agreed upon by the telcos.
“The reason for that clause was because the telcos insisted that the process of migration is such that will not allow a customer to be billed twice; in other words, that a subscriber would not have his airtime deducted and also have his or her money deducted for same services from his or her bank account.
” As we speak, some of the banks have cleared their debts, but the majority are yet to do so. So, even if all the modalities of migrating to end-user billing have been perfectly carried out, the implementation cannot even begin because the banks are yet to clear the USSD debt owed to the telcos.
“Our position now is that if that is the way the banks want to treat the agreement, we may withdraw support for their USSD services. It is not a must-have. They can do without it. But, they should clear the debts as agreed,” he added.
MTN Nigeria has announced plans to embark on a massive capital expenditure (CAPEX) drive in 2025, committing nearly N900 billion to significantly enhance network service quality across Nigeria.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria,
The substantial investment, more than double the combined CAPEX of approximately N440 billion spent in 2023 and 2024, underscored MTN’s aggressive strategy to address persistent service quality issues and meet growing customer and regulatory expectations.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria, detailed this unprecedented financial commitment during a recent interview on Arise TV, emphasizing that improving service quality is the company’s paramount message for the year.
He highlighted a clear understanding and expectation from both the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and security agencies for improved network quality.
A primary focus of this increased CAPEX will be on putting additional capacity in a city like Lagos, particularly in Abuja, where you have a lot of buildings coming up, you need additional sites because there are coverage issues.
Beyond these critical urban centers, the investment aims to bolster network resilience and ensure power stability for its infrastructure nationwide.
This includes proactively addressing site outages by ensuring timely payment for operational necessities such as diesel for generators, a persistent challenge in the Nigerian operating environment.
Toriola outlined a comprehensive upgrade process, which involves placing orders formally, opening letters of credit, and then the equipment gets shipped in and installed.
He added that MTN will be acquiring new sites and laying fiber to the base station to create better stability” where necessary.
While the immediate CAPEX is geared towards improving existing service quality and capacity, this investment aligns with MTN’s broader goals of enhancing financial inclusion in underserved rural areas, suggesting a long-term vision for network expansion and service improvement that extends beyond metropolitan areas.
Subscribers can anticipate tangible improvements in service quality, with a significant improvement in quality of service expected by the end of the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2025, according to Toriola.
“This year is all going to be about capital expenditure on an aggressive basis to fix quality of service issues (and) meet both the regulators’ and the public’s expectations,” he affirmed, reiterating MTN’s steadfast focus on customer experience through substantial capital investment.
Telecom regulators and industry leaders from across the Middle East and Africa gathered in Cairo last week to chart a data-driven future for the region.
In a region where digital transformation is accelerating at unprecedented speed, connectivity intelligence firm, Ookla and Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) joined forces to organise the Telecommunications Regulatory Summit
Themed ‘Harnessing Data and Technology for Superior QoS’, the summit focused on how data, particularly crowdsourced insights, can transform regulatory strategies across the region.
The summit attracted stakeholders from over 30 countries, including delegates from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and World Broadband Association (WBBA), who engaged in high-level discussions on optimising network performance and accelerating digital inclusion.
Karim Yaici, lead industry analyst for the Middle East and Africa at Ookla, said the event set the tone for the growing value of data-driven decision-making.
“Access to and the use of crowdsourced data contribute to making more informed decisions, fostering transparency and ensuring that citizens in the MEA region benefit from high-quality, accessible and affordable connectivity,” he said.
The experts underlined that crowdsourced data is becoming a critical complement to traditional regulatory methods.
They agreed that it helps identify service gaps, prioritise infrastructure investments, and drive innovation.
With broadband speeds now closely tied to GDP growth and productivity, accurate performance data is seen as key to socio-economic advancement.
Dr. Hossam Abdel-Mawla, vice-president of technical affairs and quality of service at NTRA, stressed that the summit was pivotal in fostering regional collaboration.
“By actively sharing best practices and exploring innovative data-driven strategies, we are shaping a future where telecom regulations ensure digital inclusion and economic growth across the region,” he said.
In a key session, Ahmed Nabawy, director of client services at Ookla, presented findings on 5G performance in Egypt and Tunisia.
He demonstrated how Ookla’s unified data platform, powered by AI, enables operators to analyse 5G-capable device density and prioritise high-impact rollout areas.
The summit also explored the shift from conventional network quality metrics to more user-centric Quality of Experience models. These advanced analytics tools promise to enhance transparency, improve accountability, and ultimately deliver better connectivity experiences for all.
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