The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has secretly employed 17 new staff members including 11 northerners, SaharaReporters has learnt from inside sources.
Top staff of the commission told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the employment was conducted without transparency, raising concerns of regional favoritism and poor leadership in the commission.
According to information obtained by SaharaReporters from the sources in the commission, the commission carried out the secret recruitment despite a backdrop of declining revenue.and worsening service quality in the telecoms industry.
The source said that of the 17 newly secretly employed staff, 11 are from northern Nigeria, while only two are from the South-East and four are from South-West.
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“With telecoms contribution to GDP dropping from 16.43 to 13.21, and with telecoms quality deteriorating and massive losses, the leadership at NCC is busy with employing new staff secretly,” the source said.
The development seems to have stirred up unease within the commission, especially as it follows a recent promotion examination that has already been mired in controversy, with claims of irregularities and favoritism.
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Already the recent promotion exam is embroiled in massive controversy. What is going on at the NCC? Who is in charge? Is someone paying attention?” the source queried, expressing frustration over what is perceived as growing dysfunction within the regulatory body.
The telecom sector is facing one of its most turbulent periods in recent years, with increasing complaints from subscribers and shrinking investor confidence.
Efforts to get an official response from the NCC as of press time were unsuccessful.
In February 2025, SaharaReporters had reported that a review of MTN Nigeria Communications PLC’s newly released financial reports revealed that rising direct operation and interconnect costs, among other expenses, contributed to a N400 billion loss.
This loss occurred despite an increase in the company’s revenue from N2.468 trillion in 2023 to N3.358 trillion in 2024.
The financial statement covers the 2024 fiscal year.
According to the report, MTN posted a N400.4 billion financial loss in 2024, up from the N137 billion loss recorded in 2023.
Direct network operating costs saw the most significant increase, rising from N655.2 billion in 2023 to N1.232 trillion in 2024.
The rise in direct network operating costs was largely due to expenses related to the numbering plan, which increased from N502.7 billion in 2023 to N969.3 billion in 2024.
It is worth noting that MTN and other telecom providers had previously called for a tariff hike, citing the rising cost of doing business in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had approved a tariff increase, pointing to prevailing market conditions.
In January, NCC spokesperson Reuben Mouka had announced that the adjustment was authorised under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
Mouka had stated that the approval permits a maximum 50 percent increase on existing tariffs, a compromise from the over 100 percent hike initially requested by some network operators.
The approval has sparked criticism, with the Nigeria Labour Congress threatening mass protests over the increase in data tariffs.
SaharaReporters revealed that Nigerians now spend up to 10 percent of the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage on data subscriptions due to the recent tariff hike.
The Bola Tinubu administration authorised a 50 percent increase in data tariffs after telecom companies cited rising operational costs as the reason for the price hike.
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