By NEFISHETU YAKUBU

The Senate has mandated its Committee on Communications to invite the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other telecommunications operators to investigate unjustified airtime deductions

The resolution followed consideration of a motion sponsored by the Senate Chief Whip, Muhammed Monguno (APC Borno North) and seconded by Sen. Ned Nwoko, (APC Delta North) on Wednesday during plenary.

Sen. Lola Ashiru (APC-Kwara South), who moved the motion on behalf of Monguno, said telecommunications services had become indispensable to individuals, businesses, and public institutions, with millions of Nigerians relying on mobile networks daily.

Monguno observed that subscribers frequently experienced dropped calls, failed connections and interrupted conversations, resulting in airtime deductions without effective communication or corresponding services being delivered.

He said subscribers were often compelled to make repeated calls to complete conversations, thereby incurring additional costs arising from network inefficiencies beyond their control.

The senator expressed concern that such deductions, when aggregated across millions of subscribers, translated into substantial financial losses, particularly for traders, students and small business operators.

Seconding the motion, Nwoko described it as timely, saying that telecommunications challenges affected virtually every Nigerian and required urgent attention from relevant regulatory authorities.

He said Nigerians should not continue paying for communication services that were not effectively delivered, adding that the concerns raised deserved appropriate regulatory intervention.

The senate, thereafter, mandated the committee to investigate complaints concerning failed calls, dropped calls and interrupted connections, assess subscribers’ financial losses and report back with recommendations for legislative action

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however directed the committee to engage the minister overseeing telecommunications and NCC leadership on the matter and submit its report within four weeks. (NAN)