The Sokoto State House of Assembly on Wednesday adopted a motion expressing concern over the persistent poor GSM and internet services across the state, urging telecommunications operators and regulators to take immediate steps to improve service delivery.
The motion, sponsored by Aminu Gidado (All Progressives Congress, Sokoto South II) and seconded by Shamsu Aliyu (APC, Wurno), highlighted the growing frustration of residents over weak network coverage, frequent call drops, delayed text messages, and prolonged service outages.
Presenting the motion during plenary, Gidado described telecommunications as an indispensable part of modern life, stressing that the poor quality of service was affecting every sector of the state’s economy.
“Telecommunications services have become an essential component of modern life, facilitating communication, commerce, education, healthcare, banking, governance, security, and emergency response,” he said.
He lamented that network services in some parts of Sokoto State often remain unavailable for several hours and, in some cases, for an entire day.
“This disconnects citizens from their families, businesses, government services, and emergency communication,” Gidado said.
The lawmaker noted that the persistent network failures had negatively affected businesses, students, civil servants, security agencies, healthcare providers, and financial institutions, resulting in economic losses and untold hardship for residents.
“Subscribers continue to pay substantial charges for voice, data, and other telecommunications services despite not receiving satisfactory value for their money,” he added.
Following contributions by several lawmakers, the Speaker, Alhaji Tukur Bala, put the motion to a voice vote, and it was unanimously adopted.
As part of its resolutions, the Assembly mandated its relevant committee to invite representatives of GSM service providers and regulatory agencies to explain the causes of the recurring network challenges and present a clear roadmap for resolving them.
The lawmakers also urged the Sokoto State Government to work closely with relevant federal agencies and telecommunications service providers to strengthen network infrastructure and improve the quality of GSM and internet services across the state.
Read the full article here
