MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and 9Mobile, among those are to be grilled at an investigative hearing between May 8 and 10, 2023.
The regulators and operators in the telecommunication sector have been summoned by the House of Representatives over poor coverage and spread of their services in Nigeria.
The House had in April, resolved to investigate the Nigerian Communications Commission over how it had utilised the USPF, an allocation of 2.5 per cent of the annual turnover of the mobile telecommunication network operators as annual license renewal fee.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, had set up a panel to carry out the probe, which is made up of Messrs Bamidele Salam (Chairman), Jide Jimoh, Unyime Idem, Aisha Dukku, Sani Bala, Babajide Obanikoro, Abubakar Fulata and Chinedu Ogah, as well as sponsor of the motion, Sergius Ogun.
The resolution was based on a motion of urgent public importance was titled, ‘Need to Investigate the Non-Provision of Mobile Telecommunication Network Services to the Underserved and Unserved Areas of Nigeria by the Nigerian Communications Commission Despite the Availability of Universal Service Provision Fund.’
However, the lawmakers have invited Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, Nigerian Communications Commission, MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and 9Mobile, among those are to be grilled at an investigative hearing between May 8 and 10, 2023.
The notice issued by the ad hoc committee, noted that others to appear before the panel are the Governing Board of the USPF, Accountant General of the Federation, Auditor General for the Federation, Federal Inland Revenue Service, telecommunication equipment vendors in Nigeria and civil society organisations.
The invitation is by the House’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Need to Investigate Failure/Inability of the Nigerian Communications Commission to Promote Widespread Availability and Usage of Mobile Telecommunication Network Services throughout Nigeria As Well As Accruals/Utilisation of Funds in the Universal Service Provision Fund.
The Chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam, in the notice noted that the invitation and call for memoranda from the relevant stakeholders was based on an earlier resolution by the House.
Salam said the resolutions were on the “need to investigate the non-provision of mobile telecommunication network services to the under-served and unserved areas of Nigeria by the NCC despite the availability of the USPF, which was created for this purpose.”
The chairman added that the committee would also investigate the “total accruals into and utilisation of the USPF by the NCC since inception of the fund.”