The House of Representatives has invited regulators and operators in the telecommunication sector over poor coverage and spread of their services in Nigeria.

The invitees, including the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, Nigerian Communications Commission, MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and 9Mobile, are to be grilled at an investigative hearing between April 8 and 10, 2023.

The invitation is by the House ad hoc committee on the Need to Investigate Failure/Inability of the Nigerian Communications Commission to Promote Widespread Availability and Usage of Mobile Telecommunication Network Services throughout Nigeria As Well As Accruals/Utilisation of Funds in the Universal Service Provision Fund.

According to a notice issued by the ad hoc committee, others to appear before the panel are the Governing Board of the USPF, Accountant General of the Federation, Auditor General for the Federation, Federal Inland Revenue Service, telecommunication equipment vendors in Nigeria and civil society organisations.

Chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam, in the notice, noted that the invitation and call for memoranda from the relevant stakeholders was based on an earlier resolution by the House.

Salam said the resolutions were on the “need to investigate the non-provision of mobile telecommunication network services to the under-served and unserved areas of Nigeria by the NCC despite the availability of the USPF, which was created for this purpose.”

The chairman added that the committee would also investigate the “total accruals into and utilisation of the USPF by the NCC since inception of the fund.” (The PUNCH)