Nigeria’s telecoms regulator is preparing penalties of about ₦12.4 billion ($17.3 million) for breaches of service standards, tightening oversight after months of consumer complaints about patchy networks.
The push follows a directive from Communications Minister Bosun Tijani, who asked the Nigerian Communications Commission to introduce automatic penalties tied to poor network performance.
In response, the NCC says it is updating its Enforcement Processes Regulations to strengthen deterrence and add offences not covered under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003. Meanwhile, revised Quality of Service rules issued in July 2024 widened performance obligations, including for colocation providers, and introduced stiffer sanctions. After a transition period through 2025, the commission set September as the compliance deadline.
In October, the NCC fined Globacom, Airtel, and IHS Towers a combined ₦45 million. However, the larger liabilities now in process relate to additional breaches, with pre enforcement notices already issued, the regulator said.
At the same time, the commission approved tariff adjustments in January 2025, saying it aimed to balance consumer protection with rising operator costs. It reported that the sector attracted more than $1 billion in capital investment in 2025 and added or upgraded over 2,850 network sites nationwide.
Looking ahead, the NCC said it is narrowing consumer protection efforts to network quality, unexpected data depletion, and refunds for failed airtime and data transactions. It added that it is finalising a Spectrum Roadmap for 2025 to 2030, which it expects to release in March 2026.