Civil Society Groups Slam Telcos Over Boycott of Telecom Consumer Dialogue

Amarachi Ihesiulo

August 28, 2026
3 min read
Civil society

Civil society groups and telecommunications consumers have criticised major network operators for failing to attend a national dialogue on telecommunication and data services in Nigeria, describing their absence as a setback to efforts to address growing concerns over service quality, tariffs and consumer protection.

The National Civil Society Dialogue on Telecommunication and Data Service Provision was held on Thursday at the Nigerian Army Resources Centre, Asokoro, Abuja, bringing together civil society representatives, consumers and other stakeholders to discuss challenges affecting Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.

Major operators, including MTN and Globacom, were conspicuously absent from the meeting, prompting strong reactions from participants who said the companies should have been present to respond directly to complaints from millions of subscribers.

Speaking at the event, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Dr. Sunday Dare, said telecommunications remained critical to Nigeria’s economic growth and digital transformation.

Dare noted that active telecommunications subscriptions in the country were approaching 190 million, while broadband penetration had crossed 50 per cent.

He, however, stressed that increased subscriber numbers and investment must be matched by improved service delivery and greater value for consumers.

“Growth in subscriber numbers alone is not enough. The quality of service experienced by citizens must improve at the same pace as investment and expansion,” Dare said.

He added that Nigerian consumers increasingly expected reliability, transparency and value from telecommunications providers.

The presidential aide acknowledged the economic pressures confronting operators, including rising energy costs, foreign exchange challenges, multiple taxation and infrastructural vandalism.

He nevertheless urged telecommunications companies to strengthen their relationship with consumers by improving billing transparency, providing simplified usage dashboards and investing more aggressively in network optimisation.

The absence of the operators became one of the major talking points at the dialogue, with participants expressing disappointment that the companies did not attend a forum specifically designed to address complaints affecting their customers.

Convener of the National Civil Society Dialogue and President of the movement, Comrade Blessing Akinlosotu, condemned the absence, arguing that operators should directly engage consumers and other stakeholders on the challenges confronting the industry.

Participants raised concerns over sudden data depletion, dropped calls, rising tariffs and what they described as unfair billing practices.

A participant, Mrs. Grace, called on the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Assembly to summon telecommunications operators to explain their services and pricing practices.

She urged regulators and lawmakers to take stronger measures to protect consumers from what participants described as exploitative practices.

The dialogue ended with the adoption of a 10-point communiqué outlining demands for reforms in the telecommunications sector.

Among the demands were stricter monitoring of service quality and speed, stronger infrastructure sharing, greater billing transparency and enhanced consumer protection.

Participants also called for more effective engagement between telecommunications operators, regulators and consumers, stressing that the growing importance of digital communication makes reliable and affordable telecom services essential to Nigeria’s economy.

The groups said the dialogue should serve as a starting point for sustained engagement rather than a one-off meeting, urging regulatory authorities to ensure that concerns raised by consumers receive concrete attention.

They also maintained that telecommunications companies must recognise their responsibility to millions of Nigerians whose businesses, education, banking, healthcare and daily communication increasingly depend on reliable mobile and internet services.

Civil Society Groups Slam Telcos Over Boycott of Telecom Consumer Dialogue

Amarachi Ihesiulo

Amarachi Ihesiulo

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