By Kirk Leigh
Nigeria’s major telecoms operators are set to convene in Lagos next week for the sector’s first-ever Compliance Management Forum, an initiative aimed at tightening governance standards and improving the quality of service in the country’s expanding digital economy.
The event, organised by the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and endorsed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is expected to bring together regulators, tax authorities, and senior government officials to examine how compliance can be embedded more firmly across the industry.
Taiwo Oyedele, chair of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, will deliver the keynote address, focusing on tax compliance and its impact on service delivery under the federal government’s 2025 fiscal framework. The NCC’s executive vice-chair, Aminu Maida, is billed to open the forum with remarks on governance, trust, and service excellence in Nigeria’s digital landscape.
Other senior officials scheduled to speak include Zacch Adedeji, chair of the Federal Inland Revenue Service; Olatunji Bello of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission; Vincent Olatunji, head of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission; and the president’s policy adviser, Hadiza Bala Usman.
ALTON’s chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said the forum marks “an industry-first effort to institutionalise compliance as a shared responsibility”, adding that the sector must prepare for a pivotal year as the government’s fiscal reforms come into full force.
Adebayo praised the Tinubu administration’s push to streamline Nigeria’s tax regime, arguing that the telecoms industry had long suffered under a burden of “over 50 different taxes and levies” across various tiers of government. The reforms, he said, would simplify compliance, reduce operational pressures, and ultimately improve consumer experience.
The forum, scheduled for 25 November, will examine how governance, fiscal responsibility and regulation can drive better service outcomes and strengthen trust between operators, government agencies and consumers.
