The National Assembly has praised the sustained growth of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) presented its proposed ₦472 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year.
The commendation was made during a joint budget defence session of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Communications, where lawmakers also examined issues relating to service quality and the utilisation of previously approved funds.
The session was presided over by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications, Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, alongside the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Presenting the Commission’s proposal, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Aminu Maida, disclosed that the regulator is proposing a total expenditure of ₦472 billion for 2026, in line with the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework.
Maida, represented by the Commission’s Head of Finance, James Kalu, noted that Nigeria’s telecommunications sector recorded a growth rate of 5.17 per cent in 2025, maintaining its position as one of the most resilient contributors to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He attributed the sector’s performance to ongoing infrastructure expansion and rising demand for digital services across the country.
According to him, regulatory initiatives and investments by telecom operators led to the deployment and upgrade of about 2,800 telecommunications sites nationwide in 2025. This, he said, boosted network capacity and expanded broadband penetration by six per cent, bringing nationwide coverage to about 50 per cent.
The Commission also reported improvements in internet performance indicators, with average data speeds increasing by about 24 per cent—from approximately 16 megabits per second to around 20 megabits per second.
Despite acknowledging the sector’s progress, lawmakers raised concerns about persistent service quality challenges in several parts of the country, including Abuja. They urged the NCC to strengthen regulatory oversight to ensure Nigerians enjoy reliable and affordable telecommunications services.
Legislators also scrutinised the Commission’s financial performance, citing discrepancies between approved budgets and actual expenditure in the 2025 fiscal year. They noted that out of the ₦95 billion approved for recurrent expenditure, about ₦73 billion was utilised, while only about ₦7 billion of the ₦10 billion allocated for capital projects was spent.
However, the committees commended the NCC for exceeding its revenue remittance target to the Federal Government. While the Commission initially projected a remittance of about ₦30 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2025, it ultimately remitted ₦102 billion.
For the 2026 fiscal year, the NCC proposed ₦424 billion for recurrent expenditure and ₦15 billion for capital and special projects.
The Commission also projected that it would remit ₦207 billion to the Federal Government and contribute ₦20 billion to the Universal Service Provision Fund to support telecommunications infrastructure expansion in rural and underserved communities.
Beyond financial matters, lawmakers requested further clarification on the Commission’s long-term digital strategy, including its 2036 roadmap, spectrum management framework, Right-of-Way policy, and data retention regulations.
In response, the NCC assured the National Assembly of its commitment to strengthening regulatory compliance, enhancing consumer protection, and expanding telecommunications infrastructure in line with Nigeria’s broader digital transformation agenda.