Telecom grievances drop sharply by 80 percent due to enhanced services, says NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has said that consumer complaints in the telecommunications sector have dropped by over 80 per cent, following recent reforms and improvements in service delivery across the country.

The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission, Rimini Makama, disclosed this during a recent meeting with journalists in Abuja, where she presented data showing significant improvement in service delivery across the sector.

She disclosed that complaints on 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 explained that the data, tracked weekly by the Commission, shows clear improvement in service delivery since the implementation of new regulatory measures.

Makama added that complaints recorded in January 2025 stood at 47,000 but dropped to 21,000 by March 2026, indicating a 55.32 per cent decline.

Overall, total consumer complaints reduced from 351,000 in January 2025 to 76,000 in March 2026, reflecting a significant improvement across the sector.

She urged telecom users to take advantage of NCC complaint channels, especially in cases of network outages without prior notification.

She said, “And I would like you to look at some statistics of the level of consumer complaints from January 2025 to March 2026.

“For quality of service data, in the month of March 2025 we had about 129,000 complaints. And I can tell you because we get data week on week. And from the month of March 2026 that number is now 24,000. From 129,000 it is now 24,000, which is an 80.60 per cent reduction in quality of service data since the time of the tariff change.

“Then for the quality of service boards, we had about 47,000 complaints in January 2025 and by March 2026 that dropped to 21,000, which is a 55.32 per cent reduction.

“And overall complaints we have had since the tariff amendments were done, January 2025 we had 351,000 monthly complaints. By March 2026, that number has dropped to 76,000.

“And there was also a comment that mentioned that people do not get messages when there is an outage. I would like everybody to know that the media are partners and you need to carry the message on what we are doing and what consumers need to know.

“It is important that they understand that there is a live incident report. They can go to the NCC website and see the criteria for outages that are published. If they find themselves affected and there is no information, they should first contact 300 and call their operators. It is a toll free number for all operators and complain that they are not getting notification.

“They can also call 622, which is the NCC toll free line, or go to the NCC website and use the consumer portal to lodge complaints. If you are not satisfied with what operators tell you, contact the NCC and we will ensure corrective actions are taken.”

Earlier, Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Aminu Maida, said that although the sector is not yet at its desired level, there are clear signs of improvement.

According to him, Nigeria has recorded about a 170 per cent increase in data consumption within two years, placing heavy demand on existing telecom infrastructure.

He noted that despite this pressure, independent data sourced from users across the country shows gradual improvement in quality of experience.

Maida disclosed that telecom operators upgraded nearly 3,000 sites in 2025 and have committed to deploying about 12,000 sites in 2026 to improve coverage and capacity.

He explained that these upgrades include migration from 2G and 3G networks to 4G and 5G, deployment of new sites, and expansion of fibre infrastructure.

The NCC boss also linked recent improvements to tariff adjustments, which he said helped revive investments in the sector after a period of slowed growth.

He further revealed that the Commission reassigned underutilised spectrum to major operators to boost network performance and increase capacity.

On consumer protection, Maida said the Commission has introduced a new directive requiring operators to compensate subscribers for poor service delivery, shifting focus from fines paid to government to direct benefits for users.

He added that telecom infrastructure providers have also been directed to invest beyond their existing plans, with independent auditors expected to verify compliance.

Maida said the Commission is working closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser to protect telecom infrastructure, now classified as critical national assets, while improved coordination with state governments is helping to reduce service disruptions caused by construction activities.

He maintained that the telecom sector remains central to Nigeria’s digital economy, driving productivity across sectors such as banking, agriculture and manufacturing, even as efforts continue to improve service quality nationwide.