The House of Representatives has issued a strict seven-day ultimatum to Nigeria’s major telecommunications operators, MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom, and Mafab Communications Ltd, ordering them to appear before its ad-hoc committee investigating the worsening quality of telecom services nationwide.

The parliamentary directive follows the operators' failure to honor earlier invitations extended by the House committee tasked with probing persistent network disruptions. Lawmakers have subsequently instructed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to enforce compliance.

Highlighting the critical importance of reliable connectivity, Olumide Osoba, Chairman of the House Committee, emphasized during the investigative hearing that mobile networks have evolved into the essential backbone of Nigeria’s commercial infrastructure, particularly for Point of Sale (POS) banking transactions.

"Telecommunications service has grown beyond basic voice calls and internet browsing to become a backbone of commercial activity in Nigeria... Banks, companies, and other critical institutions depend heavily on reliable telecommunications infrastructure, making the decline in service quality a matter of national concern," Osoba stated.

The legislative intervention coincides with disclosures made by NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, who revealed at the 95th Telecom Consumer Parliament in Lagos that 75 million subscribers had received direct compensation for poor service quality, while nearly three million users received refunds for failed airtime and data purchases.

While acknowledging that telecom operators carried out over 6,500 network interventions in 2026—including equipment upgrades and capacity expansions—Maida stressed that financial compensation alone cannot make up for lost business opportunities or interrupted communications.

To further protect consumer interests, the NCC announced plans to introduce stricter regulatory frameworks requiring service providers to deliver real-time data consumption notifications, daily usage updates, and itemized billing statements.

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