The Nigerian Senate has ordered an investigation into alleged wrongful airtime deductions by telecommunications operators over failed, dropped and prematurely terminated calls, directing its Committee on Communications to establish the financial losses suffered by subscribers within four weeks.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on Wednesday, highlighting persistent complaints by Nigerians who lose airtime on calls that fail to connect or are abruptly disconnected due to network disruptions.
The motion was sponsored by Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, and presented by the Deputy Senate Leader. It was seconded by Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North, who described the situation as a widespread problem affecting telecommunications users across the country.
Supporting the motion, Nwoko stressed that the investigation was necessary to protect subscribers from avoidable financial losses resulting from poor network services.
He noted that Nigerians regularly experience technical difficulties while making calls, insisting that the Senate must address the issue in the interest of consumer protection.
During deliberations, the Deputy Minority Leader proposed that the Senate adopt only Prayer Six of the motion, arguing that it sufficiently addressed the concerns raised in the preceding prayers. The proposal, seconded by Senator Benios Yaro, representing Adamawa South, was subsequently adopted through a voice vote presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Announcing the resolution, Akpabio said the Committee on Communications had been directed to invite the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and relevant telecommunications operators to investigate complaints involving failed calls, dropped calls, unterminated calls and inflated billing.
The committee is also expected to determine the financial losses incurred by subscribers and submit its findings, alongside recommendations for appropriate legislative and regulatory interventions, within four weeks.
The investigation will examine the billing practices of MTN Nigeria, Globacom, Airtel and T2 Mobile, as well as the need for accessible complaint-resolution channels, automatic refunds for verifiably failed calls, independent audits of billing systems and stricter enforcement of quality-of-service standards.
Akpabio urged the committee, chaired by Senator Bill Bills, to begin its assignment immediately, warning that the Senate could assume direct responsibility for the investigation if the committee failed to produce a satisfactory report within the deadline.
He said the Senate would consider taking up the matter as a Committee of the Whole and summon telecommunications operators, the minister overseeing the NCC and the commission's Executive Vice Chairman to respond to questions.
“The public is complaining, and our job here is to make sure that we tackle the concerns of the Nigerian public and also the losses they suffer that are actually avoidable,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President expressed concern over possible weaknesses in regulatory supervision, stressing that the NCC and telecommunications companies must account for the persistent billing complaints and demonstrate compliance with consumer protection requirements.
The probe is expected to establish whether the deductions result from network failures, deficiencies in operators' billing systems or inadequate regulatory enforcement.
Telecommunications subscribers have repeatedly raised concerns over airtime losses when calls fail to connect, terminate shortly after connection or are interrupted by unstable network services.
The complaints have intensified questions about billing transparency and whether operators should continue charging customers for calls that deliver little or no service.
The Senate's intervention could pave the way for stronger consumer protection measures, including improved monitoring of telecommunications operators, more effective complaint-handling procedures and refunds for subscribers where wrongful deductions are established.
The outcome of the four-week investigation is expected to determine the extent of the alleged financial losses and the regulatory or legislative measures required to ensure that Nigerians are not charged for services they did not receive.
