The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has urged the House of Representatives to focus on the infrastructure and policy constraints undermining network quality, warning that summoning telecom chief executives will not resolve the problem. The association argued that lasting improvements in service delivery depend on sustained investment, effective regulation and an enabling operating environment rather than sanctions or legislative summonses.
ALTON chairman Gbenga Adebayo made the position in a statement issued on Monday, following the House of Representatives’ decision to reject his attempt to represent telecommunications operators at a hearing on poor network quality.
Lawmakers Insist on Personal Appearance
The House Ad Hoc Committee on Telecommunications Service Quality had, on October 28, insisted that the chief executives of MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, Mafab Communications and other operators appear personally before it by November 4 to explain persistent service failures. The committee also threatened to issue warrants of arrest against executives who failed to honour the invitation.
Lawmakers defended the invitation, arguing that the operators hold individual licences and should account directly for their services rather than rely on an industry association to represent them. House spokesman Akin Rotimi also argued that subscribers deal directly with individual service providers and should be able to demand accountability from them.
The committee’s investigation followed complaints about dropped calls, slow internet connections, failed airtime and data transactions, and inadequate network coverage in several communities.
Structural Challenges Behind Poor Service
Adebayo identified the challenges affecting network quality as fibre-optic cable vandalism and cuts, inconsistent Right-of-Way charges, multiple taxation, unreliable electricity supply, bureaucratic delays and insecurity around telecommunications infrastructure. He argued that these structural problems require coordinated action by government institutions and the private sector, adding that legislative hearings should identify and address obstacles to investment and network expansion.
While acknowledging the value of legislative oversight, Adebayo said hearings should not be dismissed outright. “I would not dismiss legislative hearings outright. They can be useful instruments of accountability, public engagement and policy development. Nigerians are entitled to demand better telecommunications services, and lawmakers have a responsibility to represent those concerns,” he said.
He noted that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has the statutory responsibility to monitor service quality, establish standards, investigate breaches and sanction operators that fail to meet regulatory requirements. “Sanctions alone cannot build fibre networks, provide electricity to base stations, prevent vandalism or facilitate access to infrastructure,” he added.
Adebayo urged lawmakers to complement the regulator’s work by addressing policy and infrastructure constraints instead of creating parallel mechanisms of accountability. He stated that the National Assembly should complement, rather than duplicate, the work of the regulator.
Questions Over Scope of Summons
The ALTON chairman also questioned the constitutional basis for the summons, saying the association had written to the committee on October 20 to raise concerns about the exercise of the National Assembly’s investigative powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution. He said the association was willing to cooperate with legitimate legislative inquiries but argued that the scope of the summons raised questions about the relationship between legislative oversight and the statutory responsibilities of the sector regulator.
Adebayo disclosed that ALTON had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in 2018 seeking an interpretation of the National Assembly’s oversight powers over telecommunications operators, adding that the case remained pending.
Regulator Reports Compensation, Interventions
The NCC said on October 20 that operators had compensated more than 75 million subscribers for poor service in 2026 and carried out over 6,500 network interventions during the year. The measures have, however, come amid continuing complaints from subscribers.
Adebayo said the objective of improving telecommunications services was shared by operators, regulators, lawmakers and consumers, but insisted that investment would be necessary to achieve lasting improvements. “My message to Nigerians is simple: we all want better service, but better service requires investment, and investment requires an enabling environment,” he said.
