News
NCC Seeks Lagos Support on QoS, Right of Way
Dr. Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has sought the support of Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Lagos State governor, for resolution of identified problems associated with right of way and multiple taxes and levies at various levels of government which have become impediments to realizing good quality of telecom services in Nigeria.
Dr. Juwah who paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Fashola at his Alausa office, in company of two commissioners and other officials of the Commission, informed the governor that the nation has about 119 million active subscribers while teledensity reached more than 85 per cent from some 0.4%, while contributing more than 7 .8 per cent to the national GDP, and that Lagos State controls more than 15 per cent of the mobile phone subscriber population in Nigeria, hence its position is seen as critical in matters that affect telecommunications services.
He said while it is important to reiterate that quality of services in Lagos, and indeed, other parts of the country, is not desirable, there are challenges contributing to this with the Right of Way issues being the most critical.
He said that “We are already aware that you are involved with other governors in the National Economic Council in discussing and finding solutions to the issue of RoW in the country as currently being championed by Vice President Namadi Sambo. We urge you to continue to support these patriotic efforts so that the objectives of providing easy passage for telecommunications infrastructure, to accelerate and encourage more investments in the country, are realized”.
He also acquainted the governor with the level of the nation’s infrastructure deficit with reference to the paucity of masts and towers in Nigeria with less than 25,000 base stations compared with a country like UK with up to 65,000 base stations adding that a 2009 survey by the NCC showed that out of a total of 6, 196 masts and towers in Lagos, 48 per cent belonged to corporate bodies and individuals, 25 per cent belonged to telecom operators, 18% to banks, 8% to unidentified owners and 2% to the broadcast industry.
The NCC boss said even if the number of base stations owned by operators, which was 2, 975 then, had increased by 100%, it would still have fallen short of what is needed to serve Lagos subscribers alone”, he said.
“Your Excellency, this situation is made worse by multiple taxations and regulations that await the service providers at the various levels of government, including state governments, local governments, and even some communities. In most cases, unfortunately, telecom masts and towers easily become specific targets for multiple taxes and regulations even where there are other masts and towers in existence, or even when appropriate taxes have been imposed at the Federal Level.
Given the scenario of infrastructure deficit that we have painted above, the situation on ground becomes very discouraging as some of the service providers depend on very few base stations to serve the populace.
“We have noticed that some of these regulations exist in Lagos and it is our hope that this progressive administration will be disposed to taking a serious look at some of them with a view to eliminating double and inequitable taxation. This will in turn engender an enabling business environment that would encourage more investments and accelerate deployment of more telecom infrastructure and facilities”, he said.
Dr. Juwah also brought the attention of the governor to vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure which has taken its toll on the quality and availability of services, and the need to support the Commission in pursuit of the critical infrastructure bill at the National Assembly as Lagos is mostly affected in any of these vandalism incidents.
The NCC boss also invited the governor for collaboration in the implementation of the Emergency Communications Centres, ECC, across the country as the pilots have already been commissioned at Awka and Minna, so that Lagos will be a model city for this national assignment which the Commission has elected to bring to the nation.
Governor Fashola in his response, commended Dr. Juwah “for the thoughtfulness and initiative of the broadband”.
“You will regulate the allocation of frequencies, you will regulate bandwidths and so many other things but you cannot regulate where the towers and mast are positioned, you need me as indeed you need all of my colleagues to determine where the right of way will be and under what conditions and this was the point that we took”, he said
He regretted that a lot of time have been lost in the legal process in the matter of approvals for the operators for erection of masts because of the disagreement with his government which refused to grant approvals for new installations and government’s insistence on collocation, payment of levies, and quality of installations.
He promised to bring the dispute out of the courts for amicable settlement.
He disagreed with the use of the term multiple taxation as a proper way to describe levies being imposed on operators for services rendered to them at state levels as the operators’ licenses for operation does not foreclose payment for the land and other associated fees.
“It is an incidence of the nature of business that they have entered, the issues we should be talking about is how to mitigate cost and that is what I’ve told my colleagues that we cannot make revenue from the cost of right of way or from the cost of setting up masts and towers”, he said.
“Lagos State does not seek to do so, we see the revenue in the business growth that ICT and stronger broadband and fiber optic capacity give to citizens, that’s where I see money. The revenue that comes from businesses, more people employed, paying more income tax is much more than what any government could ever collect”, he said.
He however, chided the operators for not applying appreciable level of corporate governance as is evident in the types of contractors that they use, resulting in damages to infrastructure like roads already built by the government.
“There must be a sense of patriotism from the contractors and I choose my words very carefully, by the contractors being used by the telecom operators in laying their infrastructure, a sense of ownership and duty to protect the existing public asset. They’re not enough, so the few that we have, we must protect, it can’t be I want to do business, I want to give people telephone, I don’t care if we get lost, so this really is the heart of the matter”, he said, while promising to “get the parties out of court, so that we can set a regulatory regime in which everybody can work together”, he said.
Lasaco Assurance Plc, has said it would continue to invest in technologies and systems that delivers tangible value to clients and drive industry innovation.
Mr Abiodun Razzaq, Managing Director of Lasaco Assurance, who stated this at the 2025 customer forum organised by the company for its northern region customers in Abuja, said the forum’s interactive session offered an invaluable platform for open and constructive dialogue.
He said the forum brought together a distinguished assembly of customers, including policyholders, brokers, corporate clients, and industry partners, to engage in a robust dialogue aimed at enhancing service delivery and aligning offerings with the evolving expectations of the Northern market.
In his opening remarks, Regional Manager (Northern Region), Lasaco Assurance, Mr. Kunle Hamza underscored the company’s unwavering dedication to stakeholder engagement as a foundational pillar of its growth strategy. He emphazised that customer insights remain integral to shaping policies, refining service processes, and reinforcing the company’s brand promise.
He provided a compelling overview of Lasaco assurance’s recent performance and strategic priorities. He highlighted the company’s consistent premium income growth, bold digital transformation agenda, and ongoing operational restructuring designed to ensure responsiveness and resilience in a dynamic insurance landscape.
Addressing the customers, Mr. Adedayo Adetokun, Head of Strategy, affirmed that Lasaco assurance was actively developing multiple digital platforms to cater forvarious customer segments—part of a broader digital innovation roadmap that positions the company for future growth. He noted that human capital development was also being prioritised with targeted investments in talent acquisition and training to enhance operational capacity.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Muyiwa Anwoju, General Manager, Sales, expressed the management’s deep appreciation for the feedback received.
He assured participants that all contributions would be meticulously reviewed, categorised, and integrated into the company’s improvement plans. According to Anwoju, this forum marks the beginning of a renewed customer engagement framework, one that would be expanded across other regions in due course.
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has announced an upward review of its service fees, which will take effect from August 1, 2025.
The announcement was made through the commission’s official social media page on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
According to the CAC, the fee adjustment was necessary due to the current economic conditions, rising operational costs, and input from key stakeholders.
The statement read, “The Commission wishes to inform the General Public, Esteemed Customers, and all Stakeholders that in the continued efforts to improve its service quality and delivery, it has become necessary to review certain service fees effective the 1st day of August 2025.”
The commission explained that the fee changes are part of efforts to deliver better and more digitalised services while maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s corporate registry.
The revised fee structure will affect services related to companies, business names, limited partnerships, and incorporated trustees.
Key fee changes announced by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) include adjustments across various service categories.
For voluntary striking-off, the fee is now ₦50,000 for small companies and ₦100,000 for public companies, up from the previous ₦25,000.
Relisting a company will cost ₦50,000 for LTD/GTE and ₦100,000 for public companies.
Due diligence through self-service is set at ₦50,000. Requests for extension of time to hold an annual general meeting will now cost ₦100,000 for public companies and ₦50,000 for others.
Historical search reports will range from ₦20,000 to ₦30,000 per request. A restriction of a director’s residential address now attracts a ₦25,000 fee, while obtaining a certified true copy of documents or extracts will cost ₦5,000 per copy.
For limited partnerships, both voluntary striking-off and relisting will cost ₦25,000. A letter of good standing will be ₦10,000, registration and certified copies of documents will be ₦30,000, and a change of name will attract a ₦10,000 fee.
Regarding business names, voluntary striking-off is now ₦10,000, relisting ₦25,000, and an application for cessation ₦10,000. The certified true copy of documents will cost ₦5,000 each, and restriction of a proprietor’s address will also be ₦25,000.
Name reservations remain at ₦1,000, while reserved names with restricted words still cost ₦5,000.
The new fee structure is expected to impact business owners, lawyers, compliance officers, and others who interact with the corporate registry.
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