Nigeria’s telecoms regulator has just earned a national podium finish — and the scorecard covers far more than just answering phones on time.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) placed third among all federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the 2026 Public Service Reforms Performance Assessment, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).
The result was announced at an award ceremony in Abuja and confirmed in a statement signed by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, on Sunday, June 29, 2026.
The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) took first place, while the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) came in second.
The NCC’s third-place finish came after a wide-ranging evaluation covering four key indicators: the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT), Freedom of Information (FOI) Compliance Score, Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Index, and official website performance metrics.
The assessment is significant because it goes beyond routine agency audits.
The BPSR, which coordinates public service improvement across Nigeria’s federal bureaucracy, uses these indicators to measure how openly and effectively government agencies operate — from how they manage public funds to how accessible their information is to ordinary Nigerians.
NCC Credits Transparency Drive and Consumer-Focused Initiatives
Representing NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aminu Maida, at the ceremony was the Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Engr. Abraham Oshadami.
Oshadami was direct about what the ranking means.
“The recognition is an affirmation of the Commission’s commitment to institutional reforms, transparency, and accountability, and it will further inspire the NCC to strengthen its efforts towards delivering quality regulatory services.”
He added that the result was not accidental.
“The award also reflects the Commission’s continuous drive to improve service quality, consumer protection, and transparency within Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.”
The NCC’s rise in BPSR rankings did not happen overnight. Over the past two years, the Commission put in place several concrete initiatives to improve its institutional standing.
These include the launch of a National Coverage Map that allows Nigerians to see network availability across the country, the publication of Quarterly Network Performance Reports, simplified tariff information for consumers, updated Corporate Governance Guidelines, and timely release of industry data to the public.
Together, these measures helped push the NCC from second place in the BPSR’s 2025 website performance assessment — a narrower ranking — to third place overall in the 2026 edition, which expanded its scope to cover full governance and accountability indicators.
BPSR Director Calls Recognition a Catalyst for Better Governance
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, used the occasion to frame the exercise in broader national terms.
“The annual Public Service Lecture Series and Awards serves as a platform to recognise institutions that have excelled in implementing reforms and delivering quality public services,” he said.
Arabi’s remarks pointed to what the BPSR hopes the exercise will achieve — not just rewarding top performers, but pushing all MDAs to raise their standards.
The 2026 assessment notably widened its evaluation criteria beyond the digital metrics used in 2025, incorporating transparency, fiscal integrity, and freedom of information compliance for the first time in this format.
For the NCC, which regulates one of Nigeria’s most commercially active and consumer-sensitive sectors, the recognition carries practical weight.
Nigeria's telecoms industry serves well over 200 million subscribers. How the regulator performs — and is seen to perform — directly affects public trust in the sector.
The NCC ranks among Nigeria’s top three most transparent federal agencies — yet millions of Nigerians still experience dropped calls, throttled data, and unresolved billing disputes every day. Does a BPSR podium finish actually translate to better service on the ground, or is it a paper trophy that means little to the average subscriber?
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