…Remits N102Bn To Federation Account In FY2025
The National Assembly has commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on the sustained improving performance of the nation’s telecommunications sector and contributions to the yearly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.
The legislature’s commendation of the commission was made during a joint budget defence session of the NCC’s N472 billion proposed 2026 budget before the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Communications, chaired by Senator Aliyu Bilbis and Hon. Akeem Adeyemi at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly
Speaking during the session, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, who was represented the Commission’s Head of Finance, Mr. James Kalu, presented the proposed budget in line with the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework.
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While shedding light on the performance of the telecoms sector in 2025, he reported that the sector recorded a 5.17% growth, representing among the leading sectors that contributed to the nation’s GDP during the year.
Kalu told the lawmakers that investments by telecom operators facilitated the deployment and upgrade of around 2,800 telecom sites nationwide, expanding broadband penetration to about 50% just as Internet access also improved, with average data speed rising from 16 to 20 megabits per second.
While commending the Maida-led management team at the NCC on the impressive performance, the legislators expressed concerns over service quality challenges in some cities, including the Federal Capital Territory and advised the commission on stronger regulatory oversight to ensure reliable and affordable telecom services.
Similarly, the committee commended the NCC for exceeding revenue projections, remitting N102 billion to the Federation Account in the 2025 fiscal year far higher than the N30 billion target as well as its under-utilisation of allocated funds in 2025.
For the 2026 fiscal year, the NCC proposed N424 billion for recurrent expenditure and N15 billion for capital projects, and projected that it would remit N207 billion to government coffers. It also proposed N20 billion for the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to support rural and underserved areas.
NCC assured the lawmakers of its commitment to regulatory compliance, consumer protection, and infrastructure expansion in furtherance of the current drive toward Nigeria’s digital economy’s transformation.
