Sokoto Assembly seeks urgent action on poor GSM, internet services

From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

The Sokoto State House of Assembly has officially adopted a motion aimed at tackling the persistent degradation of GSM and internet services across the state.
Lawmakers expressed deep concern over weak network coverage, frequent dropped calls, delayed messages, and prolonged outages that leave residents disconnected for hours—and sometimes entire days.
The motion was moved by Hon. Aminu Gidado (APC, Sokoto South II) and seconded by Hon. Shamsu Aliyu (APC, Wurno).
While presenting the motion, Hon. Gidado emphasized that telecommunications services are no longer a luxury but an essential component of modern life, critical to commerce, education, healthcare, banking, governance, and security.
The lawmaker highlighted several severe consequences of the ongoing network failures.
They noted that there are economic losses as local businesses, financial institutions, and civil servants face major disruptions, resulting in financial hardship.
They added that students and families are routinely cut off from vital educational resources and emergency communication.
According to them, subscribers continue to face heavy charges for voice and data bundles despite receiving substandard value for their money.
“Network services in some parts of the state become unavailable for hours and, in certain cases, for an entire day, thereby disconnecting citizens from their families, businesses, government services, and emergency communication,” Gidado stated.
Following strong contributions from several lawmakers, Speaker Alhaji Tukur Bala put the motion to a voice vote, where it was unanimously adopted by the House.
To ensure swift resolution, the Assembly has set the directives in motion.
To this end, the relevant House Committee has been mandated to invite representatives from major GSM service providers and regulatory agencies.
They are expected to brief the lawmakers on the root causes of the network failures and present a clear roadmap for resolution.
The Assembly urged the Sokoto State Government to collaborate directly with federal agencies and service providers to fast-track the upgrade of telecommunications infrastructure across the state.