By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Senate has approved a total budget of N287 billion for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) for the 2025 fiscal year, paving the way for expanded digital infrastructure and enhanced connectivity nationwide.
The breakdown of the approved budget shows that the NCC will receive N272.433 billion, while N15 billion has been allocated to the USPF — a special intervention fund under the NCC designed to bridge digital gaps in underserved and unserved areas.
The decision followed the Senate Committee on Communications’ adoption of the report, chaired by Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, during plenary on Tuesday.
According to the committee’s report, the entire N15 billion projected by the USPF as revenue for 2025 will also serve as its expenditure.
Of that amount, N10.9 billion is earmarked for targeted projects and programmes to drive digital inclusion, N4.04 billion for the USPF Secretariat’s recurrent expenditure, and N53.96 million for capital projects.
Presenting the report, Senator Bilbis said the Committee reviewed the budget documents and interacted with the Fund’s management.
He said, “The committee recommends that the Senate approve N15bn only for the operations of the USPF in the 2025 fiscal year.”
During the budget defence earlier this year, Mr Yakubu Gontor, Director of Financial Services at the NCC, explained that of the N272.433 billion proposed by the Commission, N95.668 billion is allocated to recurrent expenditure, N10.75 billion to capital projects, and N40.93 billion to special projects.
The Senate unanimously adopted the committee’s recommendations without objection, marking a significant move towards strengthening Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure and digital inclusion initiatives in the coming year.
