The Federal Government has warned telecommunications operators to improve service quality or face regulatory sanctions. The government stated that recent reforms have stabilised the sector and removed excuses for poor network performance. The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, issued the warning in a statement on Sunday. He emphasised that connectivity gaps in Nigeria were largely structural and driven by years of underinvestment and constraints on operators.
Tijani noted that the government had tackled the problem through long-term infrastructure planning and immediate sector-stabilisation measures aimed at restoring sustainability and investor confidence. The minister explained that the long-term reforms are focused on expanding infrastructure through new fibre deployment and tower rollout initiatives designed to close critical gaps in the digital backbone of the country. He added that funding has been secured with support from the World Bank for Project BRIDGE alongside additional investments in satellite capacity to boost nationwide coverage.
Reflecting on the state of the industry at the start of the current administration, Tijani said, “When we assumed office, it was clear that Nigeria’s connectivity challenges were structural, driven by years of underinvestment in infrastructure and constraints that limited the ability of operators to deliver quality service.” He explained that the government addressed the issue on two fronts. Regarding the first approach, he said, “We have addressed this on two fronts. First, the long-term structural solution. We have secured funding, led by the World Bank, and established the framework for a special purpose vehicle with Project BRIDGE, to deliver nationwide open access fibre infrastructure. Deployment of fibre will commence, alongside new tower rollouts through NUCAP, before the end of the year even as we also expand our satellite capability.”
The minister observed that these interventions are expected to transform connectivity over the next two to five years. He stated, “These investments will address the foundational gaps in our digital infrastructure over the next two to five years and permanently transform connectivity across Nigeria,” Tijani also highlighted immediate interventions such as tariff adjustments, tax harmonisation efforts, and the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure. He stated that these reforms have restored operator profitability and created a transparent environment for network improvements.
Tijani insisted that the responsibility for service improvement now rests with the providers. He said, “It is now the responsibility of telecom operators such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and T2 to take all necessary steps to resolve network challenges and deliver the level of service Nigerians expect,” The minister stressed that the Nigerian Communications Commission has been fully empowered to monitor performance and enforce standards. Defaulting operators are expected to face sanctions. He added that Nigerians should begin to see measurable improvements in call quality and data speed as the government relies on regulatory reports and user feedback to hold operators accountable.
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