Tech News Nigeria: House of Representatives Investigating the State of Telecom Services.
- The House of Representatives in Nigeria is investigating the state of telecommunications service delivery in the country due to concerns that some areas have no access to mobile telecommunications services.
- The House Committee is looking into why the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has failed to promote widespread availability and usage of mobile telecommunication services nationwide, as well as the total accruals into the Universal Service Provision Fund and its expenditures since its inception.
- The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, emphasized that telecommunications infrastructure should not only be concentrated in urban areas and that it is critical for rural dwellers to have access to telecommunications as it is a necessity in today’s world.
The House of Representatives in Nigeria has launched an inquiry into the state of telecommunications service delivery in the country. The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, expressed concerns over the lack of mobile telecommunications services in some areas of the country. The House Ad hoc Committee is investigating why the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) failed to promote the widespread availability and usage of mobile telecommunication services nationwide. The committee is also investigating the total accruals into the Universal Service Provision Fund and its expenditures since its inception.
Despite Nigeria having one of the largest telecommunications sectors in Africa, with contributions to the economy and millions of Nigerians, most rural communities have no access to it. The Speaker noted that while telecommunications infrastructure is concentrated in urban areas, it is critical to ensure that rural dwellers have access to it. He added that the NCC, as the regulator, needs to ensure proactiveness in ensuring qualitative and efficient services are offered by the telecommunication operators. Gbajabiamila said the NCC and other operators in the sector needed to live up to expectations by ensuring efficient and qualitative service delivery to all Nigerians and not just some specific areas.
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun), said that the hearing was to investigate why mobile telecommunications coverage was not total as envisaged by the NCC Act. The parliament is interested in the steps taken by the regulators to bridge the access gap, especially in underserved and unserved areas. The committee will also probe the total accruals into the Universal Service Provision Fund as well as its expenditures since inception.
The inquiry is essential to address the connectivity gaps in Nigeria, with the majority of connected lines in major cities. The NCC recently admitted that more telecom infrastructure needs to be deployed across the country to bridge connectivity gaps. As of February this year, active mobile subscriptions in Nigeria stood at 126 million. However, rural communities are still struggling to access basic mobile telecommunications services. It is crucial to ensure that all Nigerians have access to qualitative and efficient mobile telecommunications services, as it is a necessity in today’s world for economic development and poverty alleviation.