The House of Representatives has ordered the issuance of arrest summons for chief executives of telecommunications companies after they failed to appear before a committee investigating service quality in Nigeria’s telecoms sector.
The lawmakers took the decision on Wednesday after rejecting Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), whom the companies sent to represent them.
The ad hoc committee, chaired by Olumide Osoba, representing Ogun State, directed the chief executives and other senior management officials of licensed operators to appear before it on November 4, 2026.
However, the companies sent Adebayo instead of appearing through their chief executives, prompting objections from members of the committee
Moving the motion, Sunday Umeha argued that each telecommunications company held a separate licence from the Federal Government and therefore had an individual responsibility to honour the invitation.
He maintained that the operators could not rely on their membership of an industry association to avoid appearing before the lawmakers.
Umeha also criticised a letter from ALTON which, according to him, questioned the committee’s authority to compel the companies to appear.
Supporting the committee’s position, House spokesperson Akin Rotimi Jr. argued that ALTON could not adequately represent the individual operators because subscribers dealt directly with the companies providing their services.
The committee subsequently directed the chief executives and other top management officials to appear on November 4.
NCC Reviews Competition in Telecoms Sector
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has begun a review of competition in the telecommunications industry to identify barriers to effective competition and determine regulatory measures to protect the market.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida said the study would provide an evidence-based assessment of competition across relevant telecommunications markets.
Maida, who was represented by Omotayo Mohammed, head of the commission’s Competition and Tariff Department, spoke at the second stakeholder forum on the study. Preliminary findings were presented for stakeholders to review.
He said the assessment would examine market concentration, barriers to entry and expansion, control of essential infrastructure, market conduct and consumer choice. It would also identify operators with Significant Market Power (SMP).
According to Maida, the exercise would support the commission in carrying out its responsibilities under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 and the Competition Practices Regulations 2007.
He explained that the preliminary findings were largely based on responses to surveys and requests for information sent to licensees and other relevant stakeholders.
However, Maida cautioned that the reliability of the assessment would depend on the completeness, accuracy and consistency of the information collected.
He added that limitations in the available data would be identified and the findings interpreted with caution.
The two developments come as the House of Representatives pursues its investigation into telecoms service quality while the NCC assesses the level of competition across the industry.
