By George Ozalla
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) appeared before the Joint Committees on Communications of the Senate and the House of Representatives in Abuja to defend its ₦472 billion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year, outlining its revenue expectations, sector priorities and strategic interventions as lawmakers pressed the regulator for clarity on utilisation and impact. The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr Aminu Maida, led the presentation, explaining that the total expenditure figure of ₦472 billion reflected projected recurrent costs, capital and special project allocations, transfers and statutory remittances in line with the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). Maida explained to the lawmakers that the Commission anticipates recurrent expenditure of about ₦424 billion to cover personnel costs, operational activities, regulatory oversight and industry monitoring, while approximately ₦15 billion is earmarked for capital and targeted special interventions including broadband expansion in underserved communities and consumer protection initiatives. He said the Commission also plans to transfer an estimated ₦207 billion to the federal government’s consolidated revenue fund and about ₦20 billion to the Universal Service Provision Fund to support digital infrastructure projects nationwide. The NCC boss said the telecommunications sector delivered robust performance in 2025, recording growth and expansion of network infrastructure, with broadband penetration improving and network quality indicators rising, outcomes he said were underpinned by regulatory actions and increased operator investment. Lawmakers, including the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Honourable Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, questioned the Commission on its internally generated revenue assumptions, discrepancies between past budget approvals and actual spending, and how unspent funds in previous years will be addressed. Members scrutinized the allocation for capital projects, urging tighter oversight and measurable outcomes, and asked for detailed plans on spectrum management, Right‑of‑Way reforms and long‑term digital economy strategies to ensure the sector’s contribution to national development. Senators and Representatives acknowledged the sector’s contribution to economic growth and applauded efforts to strengthen remittances to the federation account, noting that the Commission far exceeded its earlier projections in revenue contributions in the preceding fiscal year. Civil society representatives at the session also called on the NCC to sustain focus on consumer rights, quality of service, affordability and inclusion, especially in rural and marginalized communities. The NCC’s budget defence forms part of the broader legislative scrutiny of the 2026 Appropriation Bill against aggregate federal expenditure of about ₦58.47 trillion for the year.
