Telecom operators yesterday faulted the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025 on regulatory overlap, artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, ministerial directives and regulatory independence and others.

The operators, acting under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), urged the National Assembly to ensure clear jurisdictional boundaries, institutional independence, and structured collaboration to ensure the Bill’s objectives are achieved efficiently and sustainably.

ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, in a short presentation during the Public Hearing on the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025 held at Senate Conference Hall 002, Senate new Building, National Assembly Complex, Abuja, also stressed the need for inter-agency collaboration.

The forum was organized by the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on ICT and Cyber Security and Digital and Information Technology (ICT).

Adebayo said the position of the mobile network operators followed “a thorough review of the Bill and focuses on ensuring clarity, coherence, and regulatory harmony. While we acknowledge the transformative intent of the proposed law, we must highlight key areas of concern,” he noted.

The first area of concern is regulatory overlap between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

He said: “The Bill vests broad powers in NITDA that intersect with the statutory mandate of the NCC. To avoid duplication, we recommend a clear delineation—NITDA to lead on digital policy, e-governance, and standard setting; NCC to retain regulatory oversight on telecommunications networks, infrastructure, and digital services.”

The second observation is the regulation of AI. According to him, the provisions on AI should reflect international best practice by distinguishing between policy guidance (to be led by NITDA) and technical regulation (to remain under NCC).

“This dual structure—used in the UK, India, and the EU—ensures accountability while encouraging innovation,” he argued.

Another has to do with what he described as ‘trust service providers’. He said certification and liability frameworks must not impose additional compliance burdens on licensed telecom operators already regulated by the NCC. “ALTON recommends that these provisions apply mainly to public-sector digital platforms, not private network operators,” he said.

On ministerial directives and regulatory independence, ALTON said Section 82 should be reviewed to safeguard institutional independence and align with global standards that separate ministerial policy direction from operational regulation. This will promote investor confidence and regulatory certainty.

The telcos pushed for inter-agency collaboration, arguing that to achieve coherence across Nigeria’s digital landscape, a formal National Digital Cooperation and Interoperability Framework should be embedded in the Bill, enabling NITDA, NCC, NDPC, and ONSA to collaborate effectively and avoid policy fragmentation.

“We fully support the objectives of the Bill and the vision for a robust digital economy. However, we respectfully submit that: The Bill should complement, not override, existing sectoral laws; the NCC should retain regulatory oversight of the telecommunications sector; the Bill should promote structured collaboration between NITDA, NCC, and FCCPC; and institutional roles must be clearly defined to avoid jurisdictional overlaps and enhance investor confidence,” Adebayo submitted.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Hon Abiodun Ishaq Akinlade said the bill represents a “historic leap” toward positioning Nigeria for the realities of the digital age.

He noted that no nation can afford to lag behind in digital transformation, describing the bill as fundamental to economic sustainability, national security, and public sector transparency.

“This bill aims to create a strong framework for efficient governance, national security, and public service delivery through technology,” Abbas said.

“It provides support for international digital trade, investment, and builds our capacity for secure digital operations.”

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, commended the legislature for its “visionary and painstaking work” on the bill, describing it as a major step toward unlocking Nigeria’s digital potential.

He revealed that the ICT and digital economy sector, which previously contributed between 16 and 18 percent to the country’s GDP, is now tracking at 19 percent.

The administration, he said, is targeting a 21 percent contribution by the end of President Tinubu’s term.

“This bill will open up opportunities for our private sector to innovate and invest,” the minister said.

“We have chosen the path of building foundational infrastructure and policies that will allow technology to power every aspect of our economy.”

Tijani also disclosed that over 20 million Nigerians remain unconnected to the internet, adding that the government is deploying connectivity infrastructure across nearly 4,000 unserved towns and communities.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by the Deputy Senate Leader, Oyelola Ashiru, noted that the bill is not merely text on paper but represents a vision, a framework for how we perceive Nigeria’s role in the digital era.

Akpabio said: “It embodies our ambition to build governance systems that are transparent, efficient, and responsive.

“Where governance was once opaque, it will now become transparent. Where the economy once stumbled, it will now grow stronger.

“The bill seeks to grant legal recognition to digital communications, electronic signatures, and online records.

“It harmonizes our existing laws to provide clarity for the complexities of the modern economy.

“We, the men and women entrusted with the destiny of our people, must act with vigilance and resolve.

“The machinery of progress is not self-operating; it demands leadership.

“I commend the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, and their counterparts in the House of Representatives, for their dedication and unity of purpose.

“We must recognize that digital technologies, while opening gates of opportunity, also create new frontiers of conflict.

“Our responsibility is not to worship technology, but to wield it for the service of humanity, to educate the child in the village, empower the trader in the market, inform the citizen, and uphold the integrity of the state.

“In the 10th National Assembly, we have resolved to leave behind not excuses but evidence, evidence of action, foresight, and commitment to progress.

“We stand today at the crossroads of our nation’s digital destiny. We must choose the path of progress by enacting laws that promote digital growth, protect innovation, and preserve the dignity of every Nigerian who dares to dream in data and technology.

“The time for timidity is gone. The era of isolation is over. Let us move forward in unity and with unshakable resolve.

“Let this moment mark a new covenant between generations, one that ensures Nigeria will not be left behind in the digital revolution.”

Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, said the legislation when passed into law, will be the first in Africa as far as digital economy and e – governance are concerned.

He said: “The objective of this bill is to provide regulatory clarity for electronic transactions in the country.

“The second objective is to mandate government agencies to digitize their operations and services.

The law when put in place, will serve as the backbone of digital economy

Chairman of House Committee on ICT, Hon Adedeji Olajide said the bill when passed into law, would bring about digital transformation of the country.

All stakeholders present at the public hearing like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria Communication Satellite (NICOMSAT), Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST), Galaxy Backbone, Office of the Head of Service, etc, supported the proposed legislation.