House of Representatives give MTN, Airtel, Glo, Mafab 7 days to elucidate poor community

The House of Representatives has given the chief executives of MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom, Mafab Communications and different telecommunications operators seven days to seem earlier than its advert hoc committee investigating persistent poor community high quality throughout the nation.

The committee directed the operators to seem on October 28, 2026, to elucidate the continued deterioration in telecommunications providers and their failure to honour earlier invites by the lawmakers.

The ultimatum was issued throughout a public listening to in Abuja on Wednesday following the adoption of two motions sponsored by members of the House, Sunday Umeha and Afam Ogene.

The lawmakers expressed displeasure over the failure of some invited telecommunications operators, together with MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications, to seem earlier than the committee as beforehand requested.

Consequently, the committee directed the Nigerian Communications Commission to make sure that all affected operators adjust to the invitation and seem at 2pm on October 28 at Hearing Room 447 of the New Building of the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

The corporations had been additionally instructed to submit related paperwork earlier than the scheduled listening to and supply explanations for the persistent decline in community high quality affecting tens of millions of subscribers and companies nationwide.

The committee warned that chief executives who did not honour the invitation may face arrest summons to compel their look.

Personal look obligatory

The committee chairman, Olumide Osoba, who represents Ogun State beneath the All Progressives Congress, stated dependable telecommunications providers had change into indispensable to Nigeria’s financial system.

He defined that telecommunications providers had grown past voice calls and web entry to assist important business actions, together with Point of Sale transactions, digital funds and different enterprise operations.

According to him, persistent community disruptions have change into a matter of significant nationwide concern as a result of companies, monetary transactions and different important providers rely closely on dependable telecommunications infrastructure.

Osoba stated the House constituted the advert hoc committee to research repeated complaints by subscribers and determine the components chargeable for the poor high quality of providers offered by operators.

He, nevertheless, expressed concern that the chief executives had continued to keep away from direct engagement with the committee by providing varied excuses or sending lower-ranking officers to signify them.

The chairman maintained that the committee anticipated the chief executives to seem personally, arguing that they had been higher positioned to elucidate their corporations’ operational challenges and description measures being taken to enhance service supply.

Lawmakers fault operators’ conduct

Another member of the committee, Ibe Osonwa, criticised the telecommunications corporations for what he described as disregard for the House, regardless of the substantial income they generated from their Nigerian operations.

Osonwa stated it was unacceptable for corporations benefiting from the nation’s telecommunications market to disregard legislative invites, notably when lawmakers had been searching for explanations about providers that straight affected tens of millions of consumers and the broader financial system.

He burdened that operators had a duty to account for the standard of providers delivered to Nigerians and warned that the House wouldn’t overlook makes an attempt to frustrate the investigation.

In his ruling, Osoba urged the NCC to make sure full compliance with the committee’s directive, reiterating that the affected corporations should seem on October 28 with the required paperwork and explanations in regards to the state of their networks.

The listening to comes amid persistent complaints by telecommunications subscribers over dropped calls, gradual web connections and unreliable community providers, which have disrupted private communications, enterprise transactions and different actions depending on cell connectivity.

The committee is predicted to make use of the engagement to acquire explanations from the operators and study the challenges affecting service supply, in addition to their commitments to enhancing community high quality throughout Nigeria.