The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo has expressed strong confidence in the leadership of the newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, describing his appointment as timely for a sector emerging from a period of intense strain.
Leading a delegation of chief executives and senior industry figures on a congratulatory visit to the Board Chairman on Thursday, Adebayo said the telecommunications industry was united in its support for the new Board.
Adebayo said the visit was undertaken “with deep respect and sincere pleasure” on behalf of the entire telecommunications industry, noting that the calibre of operators present underscored the sector’s readiness to work closely with the new Board.
He described Dr. Olorunnimbe as a seasoned professional whose background in law, entrepreneurship and public service positions him well to provide strategic oversight for the regulator.
Before his appointment, Olorunnimbe served on the Board of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, where he chaired the Stakeholder and Governance Committee, and founded The Temple Management Company, a firm active in talent, media, entertainment and sports management.
“Your distinguished professional journey, your record of reform-oriented leadership, your administrative discipline, and your history of delivering results in complex institutions give us great confidence that this Board is in capable hands,” Adebayo said.
He noted that the appointment comes “at a defining moment for our sector, a time of recovery, recalibration, and renewed investor confidence,” adding that the industry is confident the Board would not only meet but surpass expectations.
ALTON also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as the thoughtful composition of the NCC Board, saying the depth of expertise reflected a strong commitment to institutional strengthening and sector sustainability.
While welcoming the new Chairman, Adebayo paid tribute to the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, for steering the industry through a turbulent period, particularly the protracted USSD debt crisis that had ballooned to nearly ₦300 billion over four years.
“When Dr. Maida assumed office, he inherited significant industry challenges,” Adebayo recalled. “One of the most difficult was the USSD debt crisis… It had become a systemic risk to our sector and the digital financial ecosystem.”
According to him, through “firm leadership, structured engagement, and decisive coordination,” the NCC leadership resolved the crisis.
“Today, there is no outstanding USSD debt. The ecosystem has fully migrated to end-user billing. What was once a looming crisis has been converted into a sustainable framework,” he said, urging the Board Chairman to convey the industry’s appreciation to the EVC.
On tariff reform, ALTON said the industry had endured 13 years of static pricing despite inflation, currency volatility, aging infrastructure and rising energy costs. Tariffs had fallen significantly below cost, slowing investment and straining networks.
“The approval granted last year for cost-reflective tariff adjustments was not merely administrative — it saved the industry from collapse,” Adebayo stated, adding that companies are gradually returning to profitability, network stability has improved, and capital expenditure planning has resumed.
The ALTON Chairman also linked recent sector stability to broader economic reforms, particularly foreign exchange liberalisation. Telecommunications operators, he explained, earn revenue in naira but meet major obligations in foreign currency for bandwidth, software, satellite capacity and equipment.
“The current forex reforms, though initially challenging, have yielded stability. Today, forex is available. Foreign obligations are being met. Foreign debt exposure has reduced significantly. Investor confidence has strengthened,” he said, pointing to renewed global interest in Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure.
On infrastructure protection, Adebayo welcomed the Federal Government’s designation of telecommunications assets as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) through Executive Order, describing the move as transformative.
“Although more work is required for full operationalization, it signals strong federal commitment to infrastructure protection,” he said, noting that a high-level delegation from the Office of the National Security Adviser was already engaging operators on security architecture and infrastructure protection.
Despite the progress recorded, Adebayo said ALTON identified persistent structural challenges, including frequent fibre cuts by federal and state road contractors, which result in nationwide service disruptions, destruction of assets and interruptions to banking, education and security services.
“There is currently insufficient institutional recourse for operators when these damages occur,” Adebayo warned, calling for a structured pre-construction fibre mapping and mandatory coordination framework.
He also emphasised the need to safeguard the independence of the NCC as provided in the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, stressing that regulatory independence must not only exist in law but be visible in practice to ensure investor confidence and long-term sector stability.
“Independence must not only exist in law, it must be visible in practice,” he said, recommending legislative reinforcement and operational safeguards to insulate regulatory processes from undue influence.
ALTON further decried overlapping regulatory interventions by multiple government agencies, which it said create duplicative investigations, conflicting directives and increased compliance costs. It called for clearer legislative affirmation of the NCC’s exclusive jurisdiction over telecommunications matters.
On taxation, the association warned that excessive sub-national levies and enforcement tactics such as site shutdowns undermine service quality and national connectivity. It advocated a harmonised national telecom taxation framework to support broadband expansion and digital inclusion.
Adebayo urged proactive engagement with key institutions, including the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Economic Council, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Assembly and fiscal authorities, to align policy clarity with executive coordination.
“For Nigeria’s digital economy to scale sustainably, three pillars must be secured: a visibly independent regulator, a clearly defined single-sector authority, and a harmonized and predictable fiscal environment,” he said.
Reaffirming ALTON’s support for the new Board, Adebayo assured Dr. Olorunnimbe of the industry’s “full cooperation and institutional support,” and extended an invitation for him to visit a Nigerian-operated call centre employing hundreds of young Nigerians as evidence of the sector’s employment potential.
“Your appointment comes at a critical and promising moment. The sector has stabilized. Reform is yielding results. Confidence is returning,” he concluded. “Under your leadership, we are confident this Board will guide Nigeria’s telecommunications industry into an even stronger era of stability, innovation, and national impact.”