By Salihu Tsibiri
House of Representatives has given the chief executive officers (CEOs) of major telecom operators seven days to appear before it and explain the circumstances surrounding the deteriorating quality of network services across the country.
The decision followed the adoption of two motions sponsored by members of the parliament Mr Sunday Umeha and Mr Afam Ogene, during the house proceeding.
The resolution was part of the house displeasure over the failure of the Chief Executive Officers CEOs of the telecom operators to honour the invitations of the house Ad-hoc Committee investigating the persistent poor quality telecommunications services in Nigeria.
Those invited by the committee includes CEOs of the MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom(Glo) Mafab Communications Ltd and other telecommunications service providers to appear before the committee on the 28th October 2026, unfailingly.
The committee further directed the operators to submit all relevant documents to the Secretariat on or before the scheduled date and account for the persistent decline in service quality, which has continued to affect millions of subscribers and businesses across the country.
Contributing on the matter, the committee Chairman Olumide Osoba, said telecommunications services had become indispensable to Nigeria’s economy, extending beyond voice calls and internet access to critical commercial activities, including Point of Sale (POS) transactions.
He noted that businesses, financial transactions and other essential services depended heavily on reliable telecommunications networks, making the persistent decline in service quality a matter of serious national concern.
According to him the House constituted the ad hoc committee to investigate the recurring complaints by subscribers and determine the factors responsible for the poor quality of services unfortunately the invited chief executives had continued to evade direct engagement with the committee by offering various excuses or sending lower-ranking officials to represent them.
Mr Ogene, stressed that the practice undermined the purpose of the parliamentary investigation, stressing that the committee expected the chief executives, who were in a position to explain their companies’ operational challenges and commitments, to appear in person.
Also speaking, another lawmaker Mr. Ibe Osonwa, expressed displeasure over what he described as the operators’ disregard for the House, despite the substantial revenue they generated from their operations in Nigeria.
Mr Ibe Osonwa, said it was unacceptable for companies benefiting from the Nigerian market to ignore invitations from the legislature, particularly when the purpose was to obtain explanations on issues directly affecting their customers and the wider economy.
He stressed that telecommunications operators had a responsibility to account for the quality of services delivered to Nigerians, adding that the House would not overlook any attempt to frustrate its investigation.
Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
