‎NCC seeks Attorneys-General support on telecom tax reform

By Chioma Obinagwam
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‎Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator has called on state Attorneys-General to help tackle overlapping regulations and multiple taxation stifling growth in the sector, Confiance News reports.
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‎Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), made the call while declaring open the maiden edition of the NCC’s Annual Workshop for Attorneys-General, held on July 30, 2025, at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
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‎The workshop, themed “Building and Driving Synergy in Regulating Communications for the Digital Transformation of Nigeria,” was designed to strengthen collaboration between the legal community and Nigeria’s communications regulatory ecosystem, it was learned.
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‎In his opening remarks, sighted by Confiance News, Maida described the gathering as a significant milestone, noting that no sector as dynamic as communications could be effectively regulated in isolation. He commended the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, for attending, describing his presence as a sign of the Federal Government’s commitment to institutional synergy.
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‎The NCC helmsman identified four priority areas for the two-day engagement, Confiance News gathered. These include a review of the Nigerian Communications Act of 2003 to assess its continued relevance in a fast-changing digital landscape; harmonization of multiple and inconsistent taxes discouraging investment in the sector; resolution of regulatory overlaps causing confusion among agencies; and the operationalization of the 2024 Executive Order designating communications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).
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‎Maida noted that the CNII designation, signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, opens a new chapter of collaboration between the NCC, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and other stakeholders, it was gathered.
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‎He explained that regulatory focus has shifted over the decades, from market liberalization and infrastructure expansion in the 2000s, to consumer protection and digital financial services in the 2010s, and now to artificial intelligence governance, digital resilience, and sustainable connectivity.
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‎The NCC boss urged Attorneys-General to embrace their roles not only as chief law officers of their states but as policy influencers shaping legal frameworks that support national development, Confiance News confirmed.
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‎He expressed optimism that the workshop would become an annual platform for knowledge exchange and joint problem-solving between regulators and the legal community, adding that Nigeria’s digital transformation demands a Whole-of-Government approach.
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