• Says all these efforts, on the budge, helped improve broadband penetration and key network quality indicators.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has defended its proposed ₦472 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year before the joint communications committees of the Senate of Nigeria and the House of Representatives of Nigeria in Abuja, outlining its spending plans, revenue projections, and key priorities for the telecommunications sector.
Leading the presentation was the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Maida, who explained that the proposed budget aligns with the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and covers recurrent expenditure, capital projects, statutory transfers and special interventions.
According to Maida, the Commission expects to spend about ₦424 billion on recurrent costs, including personnel expenses, regulatory operations, industry monitoring and other oversight activities. Another ₦15 billion has been set aside for capital projects and targeted interventions, such as expanding broadband access in underserved communities and strengthening consumer protection programmes.
He also disclosed that the Commission plans to remit approximately ₦207 billion to the federal government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund, while ₦20 billion will be transferred to the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to support nationwide digital infrastructure development.
Maida told lawmakers that the telecommunications sector recorded strong growth in 2025, driven by increased network investments by operators and regulatory initiatives by the Commission. These efforts, he said, helped improve broadband penetration and key network quality indicators.
However, members of the National Assembly sought greater clarity on several aspects of the proposal. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications, Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, questioned the Commission on its internally generated revenue projections, differences between past budget approvals and actual spending, and the status of unspent funds from previous fiscal years.
Lawmakers also examined the allocation for capital projects, urging the regulator to ensure stronger oversight and measurable results. They requested detailed plans on spectrum management, reforms around telecom Right-of-Way charges, and broader digital economy strategies aimed at boosting the sector’s contribution to national development.
Despite the scrutiny, members of both chambers acknowledged the telecommunications sector’s growing role in Nigeria’s economy, noting that the NCC exceeded earlier revenue projections in the previous fiscal year and significantly increased remittances to the federation account.
Civil society groups present at the hearing also urged the Commission to maintain focus on consumer rights, service quality, affordability and digital inclusion, particularly for rural and underserved communities.
The NCC’s appearance forms part of the National Assembly’s ongoing review of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which proposes total federal spending of about ₦58.47 trillion for the year.
