NCC Boss Tasks State Govts Over Telecom Infrastructure Safety

The executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, has urged state governments to prioritise the safety and protection of telecom infrastructure amid rising threats of vandalism and sabotage.

Maida, urged other states of the federation to emulate Edo state in safeguarding telecom infrastructure during construction to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure.

The NCC boss said this during a media breakfast meeting on Friday in Abuja, noted that the state has reduced fibre cuts during construction, stressing that the contractors notified the commission and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) before commencing road construction works.

“Their contractors, prior to starting any work, send out letters to the commission to inform all the telecom service providers who own infrastructure to basically give them notice of work.

“That simple action has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of incidences that occur due to construction activities. So it is a model now that we are encouraging other states to adopt,” he said.

Speaking on the quality of service Nigerians are now getting from service providers, Maida said that the commission was beginning to see positive signals through independent crowd-sourced data, although more work needs to be done.

“We are still not where we want to be, but we are beginning to see the right signals. The quality of experience is improving rather than degrading services, but at the same time, we are also seeing a rise in consumption,” he said.

Dr. Maida said that operators upgraded about 2,800 sites last year across the three major operators, MTN, Airtel and Globacom, covering new sites, technology upgrades from 2G and 3G to 4G and 5G, and fibre additions.

On consumer protection, Maida said the NCC recently introduced a compensation directive for subscribers affected by poor service delivery, stressing that the move was aimed at ensuring that consumers directly benefited, rather than the government alone collecting financial penalties from defaulting operators.

“This is something that is going to be ongoing for those operators that are not showing commitment towards improving and addressing these issues.

“The NCC took this approach because we felt that the approach whereby we simply fine operators and the government collects the money should be changed so that those who actually suffer poor service also get back some value,” he said.

On cybersecurity, he announced the rollout of a new framework establishing minimum standards for telecom operators, starting with critical infrastructure providers, with phased implementation across the sector.

He also highlighted the Commission’s evolving regulatory approach, which prioritizes tangible improvements in consumer experience.

“At the Commission, we are shifting from a model focused primarily on penalties to one that emphasizes measurable outcomes for consumers,” he said. “Nigerians benefit more from improved service delivery than from fines collected,” he said.

On the recently introduced Consumer Quality of Service Directive, he explained that operators are now required to invest in network improvements beyond their existing commitments. These investments will be independently verified, with enforcement measures—including financial sanctions—applied where necessary.

“This is not a one-off exercise. It is an ongoing initiative to ensure that consumers see real improvements in service quality,” he added.

The EVC also provided updates on several regulatory initiatives, including the Tariff Simplification Directive, the Major Outage Reporting Portal, Corporate Governance Guidelines, and ongoing efforts to resolve industry sustainability challenges such as USSD debt.

Earlier in her welcome address, the director of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, emphasised the importance of collaboration between the NCC and the media in shaping public understanding and advancing the nation’s digital economy.

She said “Accountability and continuous stakeholder engagement remain central to how we operate,” Ukoha stated. “This platform is designed not just for formal presentations, but for open dialogue, exchange of ideas, and strengthening partnerships with our stakeholders.”