The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reported a sharp decline in consumer complaints in the telecommunications sector, saying service delivery has improved significantly following recent regulatory reforms.
According to the Commission, complaints from telecom users dropped by more than 80 per cent, reflecting notable improvements in network quality and customer experience across the country.
The Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management at the NCC, Rimini Makama, disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja, where she presented data tracking consumer complaints over a 15-month period.
She revealed that complaints related to quality of service fell from about 129,000 in March 2025 to 24,000 in March 2026, representing an 80.60 per cent reduction. She also noted a steady downward trend in earlier months, with complaints dropping from 47,000 in January 2025 to 21,000 by March 2026.
Overall, she said total consumer complaints declined significantly from 351,000 in January 2025 to 76,000 in March 2026.
Makama attributed the improvement to ongoing regulatory reforms and urged subscribers to make use of NCC complaint channels when they experience service disruptions, especially in cases where outages occur without prior notice.
She encouraged consumers to report issues through toll-free lines such as 300 for network operators and 622 for the NCC, as well as the Commission’s online consumer complaint portal.
Makama also emphasized the importance of timely communication from telecom operators during network outages, urging users to demand proper notification when services are affected.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, acknowledged that while the sector is not yet at optimal performance, there are clear signs of steady progress.
He noted that Nigeria has experienced a 170 per cent surge in data consumption over the past two years, placing significant pressure on telecom infrastructure nationwide.
Despite this, he said independent data indicates gradual improvements in user experience, supported by ongoing network upgrades.
Maida disclosed that operators upgraded nearly 3,000 telecom sites in 2025 and have committed to deploying about 12,000 additional sites in 2026 to expand coverage and capacity.
He added that improvements are being driven by infrastructure expansion, migration from older 2G and 3G networks to 4G and 5G, and increased fibre deployment.
He also linked recent sector recovery to tariff adjustments, which he said helped restore investor confidence and revive infrastructure development.
On consumer protection, Maida announced a new directive requiring telecom operators to compensate users for poor service, ensuring that subscribers receive direct benefits rather than fines being paid solely to government agencies.
He further revealed that the Commission is working with security agencies to protect telecom infrastructure, now classified as critical national assets, while coordinating with state governments to reduce service disruptions caused by construction and related activities.
Maida reaffirmed that the telecom sector remains a key driver of Nigeria’s digital economy, supporting growth in banking, agriculture, manufacturing, and other critical sectors.
