The Federal Government has warned telecom operators in Nigeria to improve service quality or face significant regulatory sanctions, insisting that recent reforms have removed excuses for poor network performance nationwide.
Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, issued the warning while addressing ongoing complaints about connectivity, call failures, slow internet speeds, and weak network coverage.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s telecom problems were largely caused by years of underinvestment and infrastructure limitations that weakened operators’ ability to provide reliable services.
“When we assumed office, it was clear that Nigeria’s connectivity challenges were structural, driven by years of underinvestment in infrastructure and constraints that limited the ability of operators to deliver quality service,” he said.
Tijani explained that the government has now implemented both long-term and immediate solutions to stabilize the sector and improve digital infrastructure nationwide.
As part of the long-term strategy, he revealed that the government secured funding support from the World Bank and established a framework for a nationwide fiber infrastructure project under Project BRIDGE.
According to him, fiber deployment and new telecom tower rollouts through NUCAP are expected to begin before the end of the year.
He also disclosed plans to expand satellite capabilities to improve nationwide connectivity.
“These investments will address the foundational gaps in our digital infrastructure over the next two to five years and permanently transform connectivity across Nigeria,” he stated.
On immediate interventions, the minister said the government had already introduced tariff reforms, tax harmonization policies, macroeconomic adjustments, and protections for telecom infrastructure classified as critical national infrastructure.
He argued that the reforms have improved profitability for operators and restored stability within the sector.
“It is now the responsibility of telecom operators such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, and T2 to take all necessary steps to resolve network challenges and deliver the level of service Nigerians expect,” Tijani said.
The minister further stated that the Nigerian Communications Commission has been empowered to closely monitor operators’ performance and enforce compliance with industry standards.
He warned that telecom companies failing to meet required service benchmarks could face regulatory penalties.
Tijani assured Nigerians that measurable improvements in call quality, internet speed, and network coverage should gradually become visible as reforms continue.
He also encouraged consumers to continue providing feedback, saying both regulatory reports and user experiences would help the government track operator performance and ensure Nigerians receive better value for money.
The warning comes amid growing frustration among subscribers across Nigeria over dropped calls, unstable internet service, and persistent network outages despite recent tariff increases in the telecom sector.
