Bosun Tijani declares end to excuses for poor telecom service

…Says MTN, Airtel must now deliver better network quality

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has declared that telecom operators in the country no longer have excuses for poor network quality, insisting that companies such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2 must now improve services for Nigerians.

In a strongly worded statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the minister said the federal government had already created the right environment for telecom operators to stabilise their businesses and invest in better networks.

According to Tijani, the government inherited deep structural problems in Nigeria’s telecom sector, including years of underinvestment in infrastructure and other limitations that weakened the ability of operators to deliver quality service.

He said the government has now tackled the problem from two directions — long-term infrastructure expansion and immediate sector stabilisation.

On infrastructure, the minister revealed that the government had secured funding led by the World Bank for Project BRIDGE, a special purpose vehicle designed to deploy nationwide open-access fibre infrastructure across Nigeria.

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He added that fibre rollout under Project BRIDGE, alongside new telecom towers through NUCAP and expanded satellite capabilities, would begin before the end of the year.

According to him, these investments are expected to close Nigeria’s connectivity gaps within the next two to five years and permanently improve internet access across the country.

Tijani explained that the goal is to ensure that small business owners and ordinary Nigerians can access reliable and high-speed internet directly in their homes, offices and shops instead of depending only on unstable mobile connections or internet dongles.

Beyond infrastructure, the minister also defended recent government reforms in the telecom sector, including the approval of tariff adjustments.

The telecom industry had pushed for tariff increases for months, arguing that rising inflation, foreign exchange pressures, energy costs and multiple taxes were making operations unsustainable.

The minister said the government allowed tariff adjustments because it became necessary to restore the financial health of operators and ensure the long-term survival of the sector.

He noted that the reforms also included the designation of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, efforts to harmonise taxes and wider economic reforms such as the floating of the naira and removal of fuel subsidies.

According to him, these decisions have helped telecom operators return to profitability and operate in a more stable and transparent environment.

Industry analysts believe the minister’s statement marks a major shift in government posture toward telecom operators.

For years, operators blamed poor network quality on vandalism, multiple taxation, forex scarcity, high diesel costs, insecurity, and delays in obtaining permits for fibre deployment and tower construction.

Consumers, however, have continued to complain about dropped calls, poor voice quality, slow internet speeds and rapid data depletion despite rising telecom costs.

Now, the government appears to be drawing a line by insisting that operators must begin translating improved business conditions into better customer experience.

Tijani said the conditions required for improved service delivery had now been established, adding that it was the responsibility of telecom companies to fix outstanding network issues and improve service quality.

He also stressed that the Nigerian Communications Commission had been fully empowered to independently monitor network performance, enforce service standards and ensure compliance across the industry.

According to him, the government will rely on NCC reports and consumer feedback from public platforms to engage operators more actively in the coming weeks and months.

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The minister warned that operators that fail to improve service quality could face regulatory actions from the NCC.

“Going forward, we expect to see clear and measurable improvements in call quality, data performance, and coverage. Where operators deliver, it will be recognised. Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take appropriate regulatory action,” he said.

The statement comes at a time when demand for mobile data and digital services is rising sharply across Nigeria, driven by streaming, fintech services, remote work, artificial intelligence tools and growing smartphone penetration.

Nigeria remains Africa’s largest telecom market with over 170 million active telecom subscribers, but network congestion and infrastructure gaps continue to affect service delivery, especially in densely populated urban areas and underserved rural communities.

Analysts say the success of the government’s telecom reform agenda will depend largely on how quickly operators invest fresh capital into network expansion, fibre deployment and capacity upgrades.

For millions of Nigerians frustrated by poor calls and unstable internet connections, the minister’s message was direct: the era of excuses is ending, and telecom operators must now deliver real improvements in service quality.