Reps summon telcos over poor services, give seven days ultimatum

The House of Representatives has given major telecommunications operators seven days to appear before it over poor network services across the country.

The House Ad Hoc Committee investigating the quality of telecommunications services issued the ultimatum on Wednesday at a public hearing in Abuja.

The committee, chaired by Olumide Osoba, APC, Ogun, said the chief executive officers of the companies must appear unfailingly on October 28, 2026.

The summons followed the adoption of two motions sponsored by Reps. Sunday Umeha and Afam Ogene after telecommunications companies failed to honour earlier invitations.

The committee directed the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to ensure that all affected operators appear at 2 p.m. on October 28 at Hearing Room 447 of the New Building of the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

It also ordered the companies to submit relevant documents before the hearing and explain the persistent decline in service quality.

The lawmakers warned that any chief executive who failed to appear could face an arrest warrant to compel their attendance.

Speaking at the hearing, Osoba said telecommunications services had become critical to the nation’s economy, extending beyond calls and internet access to point-of-sale, POS, transactions, financial services and business operations.

He said Nigerians’ growing dependence on telecommunications networks made persistent poor service a matter of serious national concern.

“The growing dependence of businesses, financial transactions and other essential services on telecommunications networks makes persistent service disruptions a matter of serious national concern,” he said.