Business
‘NCC Committed To Telecom Consumers’ Rights Protection’
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has reiterated its commitment toward the protection of telecom consumers’ rights in the country.
The Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of the NCC, Alhaji Abdullahi Maikano, gave the assurance on Thursday in Kano, during the Commission’s 86th edition of Consumer Outreach Programme.
Maikano, represented by a Deputy Director, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, said the Nigerian Constitution provided a number of rights to all citizens which are inalienable.
“The Commission’s major focus in discharging its function is to ensure that the telecoms consumer is well protected, informed and educated.
“The commission has developed series of initiative with the main goal of empowering consumers with appropriate information that will ensure that their rights are not only protected, but their choices provide them with value for money.
“The event is one of our initiative to bring together telecom consumers in the urban areas with the network operators and the NCC to discuss and proffer solutions to customer related issues.
“The forum seeks to educate the consumers and stakeholders on contemporary issues generating interest in the industry.
“It also serves as a feedback mechanism for the commission in making regulatory intervention for the benefit of the consumers, the service providers and the industry as a whole,” he said.
He said the consumers as target beneficiaries of all their activities, make them to enjoy primary focus by ensuring that they get good quality of service, value for money spent, timely and fair redress of complaints.
“The rights include but not limited to; the right to receive correct information on services they subscribed to, the right to be provided with clear, complete and accurate information,” he said.
Some of the telecom service providers in their separate remarks assured the NCC and their customers of more effective service delivery and fair redress of complaints.
The theme of the 86th edition of the consumer outreach programme is ‘Information and Education as a Catalyst for Consumer Protection’.
Edun made the call while speaking at the 2025 Fellowship Investiture of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Lagos, where he reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to sustaining ongoing reforms and expanding access to finance as key drivers of economic growth beyond four per cent.
“We all know that monetary policy under Cardoso has stabilised the financial system in a most commendable way. Of course, it is a team effort, and those eye-watering interest rates have to be paid by the fiscal side. But the fight against inflation is one we all have to participate in,” he said.
The minister stressed the need for banks to broaden credit access and finance innovation-driven enterprises that can create jobs for young Nigerians.
“The finance and banking industry has more work to do because we must finance their ideas, deepen the capital and credit markets down to SMEs. They should not have to go to Silicon Valley,” he said.
The minister who described the private sector as the engine of growth, said the government’s reform agenda aims to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive, access funding, and contribute meaningfully to job creation.
The facility, known as the Nigeria Actions for Investment and Jobs Acceleration (P512892), is a Development Policy Financing (DPF) operation scheduled for World Bank Board consideration on December 16, 2025.
According to the Bank’s concept note , the financing would comprise $500m in International Development Association (IDA) credit and $500m in International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan.
If approved, it would be the second-largest single loan Nigeria has received from the World Bank under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, following the $1.5 billion facility granted in June 2024 under the Reforms for Economic Stabilisation to Enable Transformation (RESET) initiative.
The World Bank said the new programme aims to support Nigeria’s shift from short-term macroeconomic stabilisation to sustainable, private sector–led growth.
“The proposed Development Policy Financing (DPF) supports Nigeria’s pivot from stabilization to inclusive growth and job creation. Structured as a two-tranche standalone operation of US$1.0 billion (US$500 million IDA credit and US$500 million IBRD loan), it seeks to catalyse private sector–led investment by expanding access to credit, deepening capital markets and digital services, easing inflationary pressures, and promoting export diversification,” the document read.
The document further stated that Nigeria’s private sector credit-to-GDP ratio stood at only 21.3 per cent in 2024, significantly below that of emerging-market peers, while capital markets remain shallow, with sovereign securities dominating the bond market.
To address these weaknesses, the DPF will support the implementation of the Investment and Securities Act 2025, operationalisation of credit-enhancement facilities, and introduction of a comprehensive Central Bank of Nigeria rulebook to strengthen risk-based regulation and consumer protection.
The operation also includes measures to deepen digital inclusion through the passage of the National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill 2025, which will establish a legal framework for electronic transactions, authentication services, and digital records.
Beyond the financial and digital sectors, the programme targets reforms to lower production and living costs by tackling Nigeria’s restrictive trade regime. High tariffs and import bans have long driven up consumer prices and constrained competitiveness, particularly for manufacturers and farmers.
Under the proposed reforms, Nigeria would adopt AfCFTA tariff concessions, rationalise import restrictions, and simplify agricultural seed certification to increase the supply of high-quality varieties for maize, rice, and soybeans. The World Bank projects that these measures will help reduce food inflation, attract private investment, and enhance export potential.
The operation is part of a broader World Bank FY26 package that includes three complementary projects—Fostering Inclusive Finance for MSMEs (FINCLUDE), Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth (BRIDGE), and Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth (AGROW)—all focused on expanding access to finance, strengthening institutions, and mobilising private capital.