Foreword:This Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS, by REMMY NWEKE, examines a decade of NCC’s FOI compliance, assessing transparency in licensing, tariffs, broadband rollout, and regulatory decisions shaping Nigeria’s telecom governance and consumer rights.
When the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act came into operational enforcement across federal institutions in 2011, expectations were that the telecommunications sector; one of Nigeria’s most strategically influential industries, would set a strong example of transparency and accountability.
%20@ITREALMS.jpg "Develop features story for Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS by Remmy Nweke on \"USPF: Following the Rural Connectivity Money Through FOI Requests\"")
Commendable openness:
In the first few years, NCC demonstrated commendable openness in publishing industry-wide datasets and performance metrics. Subscriber growth figures, call completion rates, quality of service reports, spectrum allocation schedules, and consultation papers for new regulatory frameworks were regularly shared.
This proactive disclosure positioned NCC among federal agencies that appeared willing to operate in the public interest. However, proactive publication alone does not equal full transparency. The true test of accountability lies in how institutions respond to direct requests from citizens, journalists, researchers, and civil society under the FOI Act.
A decade affair:
Between 2015 and 2020,
Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS gathered that many FOI requests to NCC were acknowledged and answered, though often in part.
Documents relating to tariff adjustments, interconnect settlement frameworks, spectrum auction pricing models, and Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) project outcomes were sometimes released only after significant delay, and in some cases with sections withheld under claims of commercial confidentiality.
While certain proprietary details legitimately fall under exemption, the FOI Act emphasizes that disclosure should be guided by public interest, especially where governance decisions affect millions of consumers.
Shifting regulation:
From 2021 onward, the FOI landscape in telecom regulation began to shift. Increasing interdependence between telecom networks and national digital infrastructure such as the NIN-SIM integration, data residency policies, cybersecurity directives, and lawful interception regulations, placed even greater weight on public right of access.
Yet this period also saw a more cautious disclosure posture within regulatory circles, with some requests redirected, delayed, or denied without detailed justification. Transparency gradually became more procedural than substantive.
Unmistakable public stake:
What has remained constant, however, is the unmistakable public stake in telecom governance. Nigerian consumers continue to grapple with service quality concerns, network experience inconsistencies, rising tariff pressures, rural coverage gaps, and questions about how personal data is stored, shared, or intercepted.
Each of these issues falls under the oversight of institutions mandated to act with clarity and openness.
As Nigeria advances toward a fully digital economy; anchored on broadband, financial technology, e-governance platforms, artificial intelligence readiness, and national identity systems, the role of FOI becomes even more crucial.
Transparency, industry watchers pointed out, is not merely a democratic ideal; it is a practical requirement for trust, innovation, investment, and consumer confidence.
Proactive culture:
Telecom regulation affects every sector, every business, and every household. For that reason, compliance with the FOI Act must evolve from reactive obligation to proactive culture.
The more citizens understand how regulatory decisions are made, the more empowered they become to advocate for fair pricing, better service quality, stronger privacy protections, and equitable digital access.
Clinician’s note
The health of a digital economy depends on the transparency of the institutions that govern it. Strengthening FOI compliance in telecom regulation is not an administrative burden, it is an investment in credibility, accountability, and national digital maturity.
In governance, clarity is not a courtesy. It is a duty.
While certain proprietary details legitimately fall under exemption, the FOI Act emphasizes that disclosure should be guided by public interest, especially where governance decisions affect millions of consumers.
Shifting regulation:
From 2021 onward, the FOI landscape in telecom regulation began to shift. Increasing interdependence between telecom networks and national digital infrastructure such as the NIN-SIM integration, data residency policies, cybersecurity directives, and lawful interception regulations, placed even greater weight on public right of access.
Yet this period also saw a more cautious disclosure posture within regulatory circles, with some requests redirected, delayed, or denied without detailed justification. Transparency gradually became more procedural than substantive.
Unmistakable public stake:
What has remained constant, however, is the unmistakable public stake in telecom governance. Nigerian consumers continue to grapple with service quality concerns, network experience inconsistencies, rising tariff pressures, rural coverage gaps, and questions about how personal data is stored, shared, or intercepted.
Each of these issues falls under the oversight of institutions mandated to act with clarity and openness.
As Nigeria advances toward a fully digital economy; anchored on broadband, financial technology, e-governance platforms, artificial intelligence readiness, and national identity systems, the role of FOI becomes even more crucial.
Transparency, industry watchers pointed out, is not merely a democratic ideal; it is a practical requirement for trust, innovation, investment, and consumer confidence.
Proactive culture:
Telecom regulation affects every sector, every business, and every household. For that reason, compliance with the FOI Act must evolve from reactive obligation to proactive culture.
The more citizens understand how regulatory decisions are made, the more empowered they become to advocate for fair pricing, better service quality, stronger privacy protections, and equitable digital access.
Clinician’s note
The health of a digital economy depends on the transparency of the institutions that govern it. Strengthening FOI compliance in telecom regulation is not an administrative burden, it is an investment in credibility, accountability, and national digital maturity.
In governance, clarity is not a courtesy. It is a duty.
No comments:
Post a Comment