Telecom Sector Growth Earns National Assembly Praise as NCC Proposes ₦472bn Budget »

The National Assembly has commended the steady growth of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) presented its proposed ₦472 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year.

The commendation came during a joint budget defence session of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Communications, chaired by Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis and Hon. Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi. Lawmakers reviewed the NCC’s spending plans and questioned the regulator on service quality and utilisation of previous budgets.

Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of NCC, Aminu Maida, through the Commission’s Head of Finance, Mr. James Kalu, presented the proposed budget in line with the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework. He highlighted that the telecom sector recorded a 5.17 per cent growth in 2025, remaining a resilient contributor to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

The Commission noted that investments by telecom operators led to the deployment and upgrade of around 2,800 telecom sites nationwide, expanding broadband penetration to about 50 per cent. Internet performance also improved, with average data speed rising from 16 to 20 megabits per second.

While recognising progress, lawmakers raised concerns over persistent service quality issues in cities such as Abuja and urged stronger regulatory oversight to ensure reliable and affordable telecom services.

The session also scrutinised NCC’s financial performance, noting underutilisation of allocated funds in 2025, though the Commission was praised for exceeding revenue projections—remitting ₦102 billion to the Federal Government against an expected ₦30 billion.

For 2026, NCC proposed ₦424 billion for recurrent expenditure and ₦15 billion for capital projects, projecting ₦207 billion in government remittances and ₦20 billion for the Universal Service Provision Fund to support rural and underserved areas.

Lawmakers also sought clarity on the NCC’s long-term digital strategy, including its 2036 roadmap, spectrum management, Right-of-Way framework, and data retention policies. NCC assured the committees of its commitment to regulatory compliance, consumer protection, and infrastructure expansion as part of Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.