By Helen Okechukwu, JKNewsMedia Reporter
PERSISTENT TELECOMMUNICATIONS failures have prompted the House of Representatives to give MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, Mafab Communications and other operators until 28 October 2026 to explain their service shortcomings, warning that chief executives who ignore the summons could face arrest.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the lawmakers directed the chief executives of MTN, Airtel, Globacom, Mafab as well as others to appear before its ad-hoc committee not later than 2,00pm on the scheduled date to answer questions about poor service delivery across the country.
The directive followed a public hearing in Abuja, where the House adopted two motions sponsored by Reps. Sunday Umeha and Afam Ogene.
Also, the committee expressed displeasure over the failure of some operators, including MTN and Mafab Communications, to honour previous invitations insisting that the companies must account for the poor quality of services provided to Nigerian subscribers.
Lawmakers also directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to enforce compliance and ordered the operators to submit relevant documents before the hearing at Hearing Room 447 of the New Building of the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
The committee warned that chief executives who fail to appear could face arrest summonses.
Committee chairman, Rep. Olumide Osoba, who represents Ogun State under the All Progressives Congress (APC), said dependable telecommunications services remained critical to Nigeria’s economy, supporting business operations, financial transactions and everyday communication.
He said the House established the ad hoc committee to investigate recurring complaints from subscribers and identify the factors responsible for poor service delivery.
Also, Osoba criticised operators for sending lower-ranking representatives or offering excuses instead of allowing their chief executives to answer questions directly about network performance and operational challenges.
Rep. Ibe Osonwa also condemned the companies’ failure to honour the committee’s invitations; despite the revenue they generate from the Nigerian market.
He maintained that operators must answer for the quality of their services and warned that the House would not tolerate attempts to frustrate the investigation.
The legislative action comes amid continuing complaints about unreliable networks, despite regulatory interventions and compensation for affected subscribers.
On 20 October, the NCC reported that telecommunications operators had compensated 75 million subscribers for poor service in 2026, while nearly three million others received refunds for failed airtime and data transactions.
The commission also recorded more than 6,500 network interventions during the year, including equipment upgrades and capacity expansion intended to improve service delivery.
However, subscribers have continued to experience disruptions. On 8 October, an MTN network outage affected parts of Lagos, Oyo, Rivers and Delta states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
Reports indicated that the disruption lasted more than five hours, leaving some customers unable to communicate or complete transactions.
NCC data showed that the four major operators recorded a combined 413,587 consumer complaints during the first half of 2026.
Airtel accounted for 228,992 complaints, followed by MTN with 124,405, Globacom with 56,810 and T2mobile with 3,885.
Although the operators reported resolving 406,938 complaints, subscribers have continued to raise concerns about poor call quality, slow internet speeds, billing disputes and failed transactions.
JKNewsMedia.com also reports that in April 2026, the NCC introduced an automatic airtime compensation framework for eligible subscribers affected by operators’ failure to meet prescribed quality-of-service standards.
Despite the compensation scheme and other regulatory measures, the House committee is demanding explanations for the continuing problems and concrete plans to improve network quality.
Osoba directed the NCC to ensure that the operators meet the 28 October appearance deadline and submit all requested documents ahead of the hearing.
Consequently, the committee has directed the NCC to ensure that all summoned operators appear on 28 October 2026 and submit the requested documents ahead of the hearing.
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