The Senate has directed its Committee on Communications to summon the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and telecommunications operators as part of an investigation into alleged unjustified deductions from subscribers’ airtime.
The decision followed the consideration of a motion sponsored by the Senate Chief Whip, Muhammed Monguno (APC, Borno North), and seconded by Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), during Wednesday’s plenary.
Senator Lola Ashiru (APC, Kwara South), who presented the motion on Monguno’s behalf, noted that telecommunications services had become essential to individuals, businesses and public institutions, with millions of Nigerians depending on mobile networks daily.
Monguno pointed out that subscribers regularly experienced dropped calls, failed connections and interrupted conversations, often resulting in airtime deductions despite the absence of effective communication or the delivery of corresponding services.
He said subscribers were often compelled to make repeated calls to complete conversations, thereby incurring additional costs arising from network inefficiencies beyond their control.
The senator expressed concern that such deductions, when aggregated across millions of subscribers, translated into substantial financial losses, particularly for traders, students and small business operators.
Seconding the motion, Nwoko described it as timely, saying that telecommunications challenges affected virtually every Nigerian and required urgent attention from relevant regulatory authorities.
He said Nigerians should not continue paying for communication services that were not effectively delivered, adding that the concerns raised deserved appropriate regulatory intervention.
The Senate, thereafter, mandated the committee to investigate complaints concerning failed calls, dropped calls and interrupted connections, assess subscribers’ financial losses and report back with recommendations for legislative action.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however, directed the committee to engage the minister overseeing telecommunications and the NCC leadership on the matter and submit its report within four weeks, NAN reports.
