By Philomina Brando
The National Assembly on Thursday commended the steady growth of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector but scrutinised the ₦472bn proposed 2026 budget of the Nigerian Communications Commission amid concerns over declining service quality in parts of the country.
At a joint budget defence session of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Communications, chaired by Ikra Aliyu Bilbis and Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, lawmakers acknowledged that the sector recorded a 5.17 per cent growth in 2025 but urged the commission to strengthen regulatory oversight to address persistent connectivity challenges.
Presenting the proposal, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Aminu Maida, said the agency was seeking ₦472bn as total expenditure for 2026 in line with the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework.
Maida told lawmakers that the telecommunications sector remained one of the most resilient contributors to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, driven by infrastructure expansion and growing digital demand.
He disclosed that regulatory interventions and industry investments led to the deployment and upgrade of about 2,800 telecom sites in 2025, which improved network capacity and expanded broadband penetration by six per cent to about 50 per cent nationwide.
According to him, average internet speed also increased by 24 per cent, rising from about 16 megabits per second to roughly 20 Mbps.
However, lawmakers noted that service quality remained a concern in several areas, including major urban centres such as Abuja, and called on the commission to intensify monitoring of telecom operators.
While acknowledging the commission’s financial performance — including the remittance of ₦102bn to the Federal Government in 2025, far above its initial ₦30bn projection — legislators expressed concern over the underutilisation of approved funds.
They observed that of the ₦95bn approved for recurrent expenditure, about ₦73bn was utilised, while only ₦7bn of the ₦10bn approved for capital projects was spent.
For the 2026 fiscal year, the commission proposed ₦424bn for recurrent expenditure and ₦15bn for capital and special projects. It also projected remittances of ₦207bn to the Federal Government and ₦20bn to the Universal Service Provision Fund to support rural connectivity.
Lawmakers also questioned the commission on its 2036 digital roadmap, spectrum management plans, Right-of-Way framework and data retention policies, stressing the need for improved oversight to ensure Nigerians enjoy reliable and affordable communication services.
In response, the NCC leadership reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regulatory compliance, improving consumer protection and expanding telecom infrastructure as part of Nigeria’s broader digital transformation agenda.