…..Threaten sanctions against defiant operators
…..demand personal appearance of MTN, Airtel, Glo, T2 CEOs
The House of Representatives has reaffirmed its constitutional powers to summon telecommunications operators over persistent poor service delivery, warning that no company can evade legislative accountability under the guise of regulatory arrangements or court proceedings.
The lawmakers restated their position on Wednesday after ordering representatives of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) out of a meeting of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Telecommunications Service Quality in Abuja.
The confrontation followed the failure of chief executives of major telecommunications companies to honour the committee’s fresh summons to personally explain the worsening quality of services provided to millions of Nigerian subscribers.
Instead of the individual company executives, representatives of ALTON, including officials from MTN, Globacom, Airtel and T2 Mobile, appeared before the committee, claiming to represent the association and its member companies.
The representatives told the lawmakers that the operators had instituted legal proceedings challenging the summons but decided to attend the meeting out of respect for the National Assembly.
However, the committee rejected their appearance, insisting that its invitation was directed at the individual telecommunications companies and not their umbrella association.
The lawmakers maintained that each operator holds a separate licence and must independently account for its operations, service standards and obligations to Nigerian consumers.
The development came barely a week after the House directed that arrest summons be issued against the chief executives for failing to honour an earlier invitation, fixing November 4 for their appearance.
The committee chairman, Rep. Olumide Osoba (APC, Ogun), represented by Rep. Sunday Umeha, who presided over the meeting, questioned whether the operators had obtained any court order restraining the committee from conducting its investigation.
The lawmakers also accused ALTON of disregarding an earlier directive that the association was not invited to the proceedings.
Following a heated exchange, Umeha ordered the representatives to leave the meeting, warning that any further unauthorised appearance could attract detention.
He stressed that although ALTON was free to pursue its grievances through the courts, it must not interfere with the proceedings of the legislature.
“You are not invited. You are an intruder. This will be the last warning. On no account, except you are invited, should ALTON, under any guise whatsoever, appear before this committee again,” he said.
The committee subsequently proceeded with an executive session involving officials of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), who remained after the ALTON representatives were ordered out.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Osoba said the investigation was prompted by mounting complaints from subscribers over dropped calls, disappearing data subscriptions, unreliable internet services and frequent network disruptions.
He said the House had received several petitions from Nigerians dissatisfied with the quality of telecommunications services, stressing that the situation had become a major concern given the sector’s importance to businesses and essential services.
Osoba particularly highlighted the impact on small and medium-scale enterprises, including businesses that depend on Point of Sale (POS) terminals and electronic payment platforms, noting that persistent network failures were causing significant losses.
He also expressed concern over the implications of poor telecommunications services for the 2027 general elections, warning that unreliable networks could undermine confidence in technology-driven electoral processes.
“If at the moment the network is in the state it is now, then what becomes the fate and confidence of Nigerians when the general election comes?” he asked.
The lawmaker said the committee had invited the chief executives and senior management officials of MTN, Globacom, Airtel and other licensed operators to explain the persistent service failures and present concrete measures to address them.
He expressed disappointment that the companies again failed to honour the invitation, describing their decision to send ALTON representatives instead as a troubling attempt to avoid direct legislative accountability.
Addressing arguments that the National Assembly lacked the authority to summon telecommunications operators because the sector was regulated by the NCC, Osoba cited Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He maintained that the provisions empower the legislature to investigate matters within its constitutional mandate, examine the implementation of laws and ensure that relevant institutions and stakeholders discharge their responsibilities.
He argued that the NCC’s regulatory powers did not exempt telecommunications operators from legislative scrutiny, particularly when their services had become the subject of widespread public complaints.
“The law under which NCC operates was made by the National Assembly. We enacted that law and gave the agency the power to issue licences. We also have the power of oversight on the agency,” he said.
“Who says we don’t have the powers to do so? Of course, we have the powers. You see, people will always try to evade accountability and transparency. That’s what is going on,” he added.
Osoba assured Nigerians that the House would sustain the investigation to ensure accountability and improved services for millions of subscribers who depend on telecommunications for communication, business, education and other essential activities.
He disclosed that the committee had adjourned its proceedings until Wednesday next week, expressing the expectation that the chief executives of the affected companies would personally appear before the panel.
He warned that the House would take necessary steps to enforce its summons and invoke relevant constitutional powers if the operators continued to disregard its directives.
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