Senate summons NCC, MTN, Airtel, Glo, T2 over poor services, airtime deductions
The Nigerian Senate has summoned the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and major telecommunications operators, including MTN, Airtel, Globacom and T2, over persistent complaints of dropped calls, failed connections and unexplained airtime deductions.
The regulator and operators are expected to appear before the Senate Committee on Communications, chaired by Senator Aliyu Ikra Bilbis (Zamfara Central), to address concerns over poor service delivery and financial losses suffered by subscribers.
The resolution followed the consideration of a motion titled, “Need to Curb Unjustified Deductions from Subscribers’ Airtime Resulting from Substandard Telecommunications Services Through Robust Consumer Protection,” sponsored by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North).
Presenting the motion on behalf of the sponsor, Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South), expressed concern over subscribers being charged for calls that fail to connect, terminate prematurely or are disrupted by poor network connectivity.
The Senate noted that millions of Nigerians are forced to redial numbers several times due to poor connectivity, incurring additional charges for services not effectively delivered. It said the situation places an unnecessary financial burden on low-income earners, traders, students and small business owners.
Seconding the motion, Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North) described the intervention as a consumer-protection measure, lamenting the disparity between telecommunications services in Nigeria and the seamless connectivity available in other countries.
Consequently, the Senate directed its committee on communications to invite the NCC and the affected operators to investigate complaints of airtime deductions for failed calls, dropped calls, interrupted conversations and inflated charges.
The committee is expected to determine the financial losses suffered by subscribers and report back to the Senate within four weeks with recommendations for further legislative and regulatory action.
