The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have set up a joint taskforce to tackle the growing problem of failed electronic transactions and enforce higher standards of service quality across the country’s telecommunications sector.
The collaboration was unveiled at the 94th edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament held in Lagos, where both regulators reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring efficiency, transparency, and consumer satisfaction in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the initiative would strengthen synergy between the telecom and financial sectors while addressing consumer concerns over poor service and unresolved transaction failures.
He explained that consumers deserve reliable, efficient, and high-quality telecom services, adding that resolving failed transactions and delayed payments is now a top priority for the Commission. According to him, the partnership with the CBN will promote greater transparency and accountability across both sectors.
Dr. Maida noted that while Nigeria’s telecom industry has recorded over 170 million active subscriptions and a teledensity of 78 percent, service quality has not matched the pace of growth. He stressed that the new joint taskforce aligns with the NCC’s Strategic Vision Plan to enhance consumer experience at every point of interaction.
Also speaking, the Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Barrister Rimini Makama, described the Telecom Consumer Parliament as a vital platform for dialogue among regulators, operators, and consumers. She said the year’s theme, “Addressing Network Quality for Improved Consumer Experience,” is both timely and necessary, adding that the focus on failed transactions and delayed payments would help develop lasting and practical solutions through stakeholder cooperation.
Consumer advocacy groups and industry stakeholders at the event welcomed the partnership, describing it as a bold and long-overdue step. A representative of the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation, Professor Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, commended the initiative, saying Nigerians have endured years of poor service, unexplained deductions, and unresolved complaints without redress.
The NCC warned that telecom operators must now match network expansion with measurable improvements in service delivery, noting that the Commission will enforce stricter regulatory measures, including sanctions for non-compliance with service standards.
As part of its broader reform plan, the NCC announced several new initiatives to boost transparency and consumer confidence. These include a public service quality monitoring portal that will enable consumers to compare network performance by location, quarterly publication of compliance rankings and consumer satisfaction reports, and clearer tariff disclosures to simplify price comparisons among operators.
The Commission also revealed that it is working with federal and state agencies to safeguard telecom infrastructure, particularly fibre optic cables, during public construction projects to minimize service disruptions.
Dr. Maida emphasized that Nigeria’s telecom growth must now prioritize quality over quantity, noting that expansion without improvement is meaningless. He maintained that real growth is measured by the quality of experience the consumer receives.
With the new NCC–CBN taskforce in place, stakeholders and consumers alike are optimistic that the persistent issues of failed electronic transactions and poor network service may soon be a thing of the past.
LV