FG Calls for Stronger Synergy in Regulating Communications to Drive Nigeria’s Digital Transformation

FG Calls for Stronger Synergy in Regulating Communications to Drive Nigeria’s Digital Transformation

 

L-R: Project Manager, Africa-BroadBand (BB) Maps, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dana Jon Kamason; Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Rimini Makama; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NCC, NCC; Dr. Aminu Maida; Deputy Ambassador,  European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria, Zissmos Vergas; Head, Green and Digital Economy, EU Delegation to Nigeria, Inga Stefanowicz; and Project Officer, Africa-BB-Maps, ITU, Elind Sulmina, during a three-day National Broadband Mapping System held in Abuja this week (August 5-6, 2025).

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef O. Fagbemi, SAN, has called for stronger collaboration among federal, state, and local governments to ensure effective regulation of Nigeria’s communications sector, describing it as a key driver of the nation’s digital transformation and socio-economic development.

Speaking at a two-day workshop for State Attorneys-General organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja, Fagbemi commended the NCC for bringing together the nation’s chief law officers to exchange ideas and bridge knowledge gaps on regulatory frameworks.

He stressed that a well-regulated communications sector should guarantee the protection of privacy, data rights, consumer protection, and the ease of doing business. “The justice and judicial sectors are critical components in regulating communications in Nigeria. We must uphold the rule of law, protect infrastructure, prevent consumer exploitation, and ensure offenders are brought to book,” he said.

Fagbemi noted that Nigeria’s communications industry is one of the most dynamic sectors, with over 220 million active voice subscriptions and broadband penetration above 52% as of Q1 2025. This, he said, is enabling remote learning, financial inclusion, and economic growth across urban and rural areas.

However, he identified persistent challenges, including multiple taxation by different levels of government, vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure, regulatory overlaps, slow broadband roll-out due to right-of-way (ROW) issues, and inconsistent state policies.

He cited the 2024 multiple taxation dispute in Ogun State, which halted expansion projects, and the 2023 vandalisation of base stations in Kano as examples of economic sabotage that hinder sector growth.

Fagbemi called on all three arms of government to address these issues, urging the legislature to strengthen protective laws, the executive to enforce them, and the judiciary to ensure swift justice for offenders. He praised Anambra State’s adoption of a unified ROW policy in 2023, which boosted fibre optic expansion by 38% in six months, as an example of proactive state action.

The AGF recommended several strategies, including legal and policy harmonization, a Federal-State regulatory coordination forum, uniform ROW policy adoption, joint infrastructure protection enforcement, and a consolidated digital taxation framework.

“As Chief Law Officers, we must advise our governments on sound digital economy policies, ensure constitutional compliance, champion data privacy, and strengthen cyber security,” he told the gathering.

Fagbemi concluded by urging sustained cooperation among all stakeholders to achieve a transformed communications sector that drives national development.