The Enugu State House of Assembly has moved to address the growing concerns over dropped calls and customer dissatisfaction with telecom operators in the state.
During a plenary session on Tuesday, Hon. Harrison Ogara, the member representing Igbo-Eze South Constituency, raised concerns about the negative financial impact on consumers due to unreliable telecom services.
Ogara pointed out that with over 219 million Nigerians subscribing to telecom services, Enugu residents have been disproportionately affected by the inconsistency in service delivery, leading to significant financial losses.
He proposed that telecom operators such as MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9 Mobile be summoned to explain their plans to reimburse customers who have been affected by dropped calls.
In addition to requesting refunds, Ogara called for the telecom companies to provide accurate subscriber data and proof of tax compliance with the Enugu State Government.
He also suggested the formation of a committee comprising state officials to investigate the financial losses suffered by residents due to telecom inefficiencies, with the findings to be made public and refunds issued where necessary.
“Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues, I rise to draw your attention to the current epileptic services of the telecom service providers in Enugu State, which have resulted in huge losses for our citizens.”
“Notwithstanding being a late entrant into the global mobile (GSM) market, Nigeria has clearly outpaced many countries when we consider the market size and telephone usage.
“It is quite absurd and preposterous that even with the rapid growth of the sector and its consequent growth in consumer size, users of telecom services in Enugu State have continued to groan under the scorching pressure of abysmal performance in services,” Ogara lamented.
Other members of the Assembly joined in expressing their frustration with the poor services and high tariffs charged by the telecom operators, drawing comparisons to the problematic billing practices in other utility sectors.
Hon. Malachy Onyechi, representing Nsukka West, likened the telecom operators’ practices to those of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which often imposes exorbitant estimated bills without providing adequate services.
Hon. Clifford One, representing Igbo-Eze North 2, also supported the motion, comparing the telecom operators’ practices to banking services where customers are debited but the transaction does not go through.
In a related development, the House of Assembly passed the Enugu State Land Use Charge Second Amendment, House Bill 6, 2025, presented by Hon. Iloabuchi Aniagu, the member representing Nkanu West Constituency.
To facilitate the swift passage of the bill, the Assembly suspended Order 14, Rule 102, subsection 1 of the House Standing Orders.
