NIGERIA · TELECOMS
Key Facts
- —The country Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, and its mobile market counted about 195 million lines in July 2026.
- —What happened On Wednesday 21 October 2026 a House of Representatives committee gave four telecom chiefs, including MTN Nigeria’s, seven days to appear.
- —The deadline They must appear on Wednesday 28 October at 2 pm in Abuja, and a chief executive who stays away could face an arrest summons.
- —The company MTN Nigeria, majority-owned by South Africa’s MTN Group, reported revenue of N2.99 trillion (about US$2.24 billion) for the first half of 2026.
- —The complaints The regulator logged 413,587 customer complaints against operators in the first half of 2026, including 124,405 against MTN.
- —Rate basis Naira amounts are converted at 1,334 naira to the US dollar on 22 October 2026.
- —Still open None of the companies has said publicly whether its chief executive will attend on 28 October.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has ordered MTN Nigeria’s chief executive, Karl Toriola, and three rival phone chiefs to appear in Abuja on Wednesday 28 October. A committee investigating poor network quality set the seven-day ultimatum at a public hearing on Wednesday 21 October.
For US readers, the order hits the biggest mobile operator in Africa’s most populous country. Lawmakers say service has deteriorated, while the company points to heavy investment and strong profits.
What the Committee Decided on 21 Oct
The House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Nigeria’s National Assembly, set up an ad hoc committee on telecom service quality after two motions. Premium Times reported that the motions came from Sunday Umeha of Enugu State and Afam Ogene of Anambra State.
The committee is chaired by Olumide Osoba, a lawmaker from Ogun State. He told the hearing that telecommunications has become indispensable to the economy, because shops, banks and street-level payment agents all rely on working networks.
Who Must Appear and When
The chiefs of MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom (known as Glo) and Mafab Communications must attend in person on Wednesday 28 October at 2 pm. The venue is Hearing Room 447 of the National Assembly complex, and each company must hand in documents beforehand.
Osoba said some companies had sent junior staff or excuses instead of their bosses, and the committee said MTN and Mafab had ignored earlier invitations. The committee warned that chief executives who fail to show up could be summoned, and BusinessDay reported that this could mean an arrest summons.
Why Lawmakers Are Angry
Lawmakers listed dropped calls, unstable internet, slow data and patchy coverage in several areas, along with failed point-of-sale and online payments. They also plan to ask about the causes of outages and how much the companies invest in their networks.
Ibe Osonwa of Abia State said firms earning big revenue in Nigeria must account for their service. Legit.ng reported an MTN outage on Thursday 8 October across five areas, with an apology but no stated cause.
What the Regulator’s Numbers Show
The Nigerian Communications Commission, known as the NCC, is the state regulator that licenses phone companies and sets service standards. Leadership newspaper, citing NCC data, reported 413,587 complaints in the first half of 2026: Airtel 228,992, MTN 124,405 and Globacom 56,810.
Operators said they had resolved 406,938 of those complaints, or 98.4%. MTN has the largest share of lines, so Airtel’s bigger complaint count shows the problem is not limited to one company.
The Compensation Scheme in Dispute
This spring the NCC ordered phone companies to credit airtime automatically to customers in areas where service fell below set standards. Under Nigeria’s 2024 quality rules, penalties start at about N5 million (about US$3,700) per breach, with daily fines if the breach continues.
Leadership newspaper reported that operators told the NCC in June they had compensated over 75 million subscribers, and the regulator began an independent check. Lawmakers had also criticised its oversight in May.
MTN Nigeria’s Side of the Story
In unaudited accounts filed with the Nigerian Exchange on 30 July, MTN Nigeria reported first-half 2026 revenue of N2.99 trillion (about US$2.24 billion), up 25.9%. Profit after tax rose 70.6% to N707.5 billion (about US$530 million) in the six months to 30 June.
It spent N620.5 billion (about US$465 million) on capital projects and ended June with 92.2 million subscribers and 55.7 million data users. The NCC counted 100.9 million active MTN lines in July, as covered in the Rio Times report on Nigeria’s 195 million phone lines.
What It Means for US Readers
MTN Nigeria belongs to MTN Group, profiled on the Rio Times Company Intelligence page and in an explainer on how the group works. Investors in African telecoms should watch whether the hearing brings fines, new service targets or pressure on prices.
US companies and aid groups that pay staff, suppliers or customers through Nigerian mobile networks depend on the same lines the committee is examining. Families sending money to Nigeria from the United States also use mobile wallets and phone-linked bank apps that need a working signal.
What Is Not Known
None of the four companies has said publicly whether its chief executive will attend on Wednesday 28 October. It is also open which documents the committee will demand and whether it will ask the NCC to impose fines.
The committee has not said how it will test the operators’ claims of record investment against customers’ experience on the ground. The Reps can summon and recommend, but any penalty would still have to come through the regulator or the courts.
More: Nigeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did lawmakers summon the MTN Nigeria chief executive?
A House of Representatives committee is investigating poor network quality, and it said MTN had ignored earlier invitations. It wants Karl Toriola and the other chief executives to answer questions in person.
When is the hearing?
The hearing is on Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 2 pm in Hearing Room 447 of the National Assembly complex in Abuja. The date follows a seven-day ultimatum issued on Wednesday 21 October.
Which other companies were summoned?
Airtel Nigeria, Globacom (Glo) and Mafab Communications were named alongside MTN Nigeria. The committee said other service providers could also be called.
Can the chief executives really be arrested?
BusinessDay reported that a chief executive who fails to appear could face an arrest summons, while Premium Times wrote only that they could be summoned. Whether the committee would use that power is unclear, because the companies may still attend.
How profitable is MTN Nigeria?
For the first half of 2026 it reported profit after tax of N707.5 billion (about US$530 million) on revenue of N2.99 trillion (about US$2.24 billion). Those are company figures for the six months to 30 June 2026.
Sources: TheCable, Reps panel summons Airtel, MTN, Glo CEOs over poor network quality, 21 October 2026; Premium Times, Reps summon MTN, Airtel, Glo CEOs over poor network quality, 21 October 2026; The Guardian Nigeria, Reps issue MTN, Airtel, Glo seven-day ultimatum over poor service, 21 October 2026; BusinessDay, Reps threaten arrest summons for telcos’ CEOs over poor services, 21 October 2026; Nairametrics, MTN Nigeria first-half 2026 results, 31 July 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error