The Nigerian Communications Commission has urged citizens to inspect their mobile devices, citing the imperative to safeguard consumers, comply with regulatory requirements, and improve network quality.
This directive was conveyed on Friday by Edoyemi Ogoh, the NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, during an interview with Arise TV.
Ogoh explained that the initiative is required under the Nigerian Communications Commission Act of 2003, which empowers the commission to conduct type approval processes to verify that communication devices entering the country are genuine and meet performance standards.
He added that the regulation protects consumers from purchasing counterfeit phones and equipment at prices meant for authentic products.
“One, it’s a statutory requirement. The NCC Act of 2003 actually specifies that we carry out type approval, and that’s the whole intent of that is to ensure that every device coming into the country is actually genuine and works the way it should work,” he said.
Ogoh further noted that investigations into consumer complaints regarding poor service quality revealed that some issues stemmed directly from the devices being used by subscribers.
He explained that these findings necessitated measures to ensure that phones and other equipment connected to telecommunications networks meet established regulatory standards.
According to Ogoh, operating unapproved or malfunctioning gadgets not only negatively affects the individual owners but can also degrade service quality for other users within the same vicinity.
Consequently, the NCC has advised consumers to verify the certification status of their mobile devices prior to purchase to ensure they comply with the commission’s operational standards for Nigerian networks.
Backstory…
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had earlier announced an enhanced device-verification framework that took effect on October 7, 2026, as part of efforts to clamp down on counterfeit, cloned and non-compliant mobile phones in Nigeria.
The commission said devices imported into the country must meet its type-approval requirements and be registered before they can be sold or used on local networks.
The move triggered concerns over the fate of phones that fail verification, including imported iPhones and other smartphones purchased from overseas markets.
The NCC has said non-compliant devices could be denied access to Nigerian mobile networks, prompting it to urge consumers to check a phone’s status before paying for it.
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