A nationwide protest is gaining momentum in Nigeria following the recent decision by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to approve a 50% tariff increase for telecommunication services.
According to DAILY POST, this move comes amidst rising financial pressures caused by the devaluation of the naira and escalating operational costs in Africa’s most populous country.
Telecom giants such as MTN and Airtel had initially pushed for a 100% tariff hike, citing the challenges of doing business under current economic conditions.
On Monday, January 20, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the approval of a 50% increase. Once implemented by Mobile Network Operators, Nigerians will face higher charges: call rates will rise from N11 to N16.5 per minute, SMS costs from N4 to N6, and 1GB of data from N286.75 to N431.25.
The decision has sparked widespread opposition. Stakeholders argue that the tariff hike is ill-timed, given the severe economic hardships affecting the country.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in response to the announcement, urged Nigerians to resist the “unjust burden” and threatened to mobilize workers to boycott telecom services.
Similarly, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) condemned the increase, describing it as excessive and warning that it would further worsen the already dire living conditions of workers and citizens.
The new tariffs are scheduled to take effect in February, raising concerns about their potential impact on Nigerians struggling to cope with rising costs.
Halt the tariff hike now – Yunusa Tanko tells FG
In an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Saturday, the National Coordinator, OBIDIENT Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko urged the Federal Government to halt the tariff increase, saying it is a “wrong timing, wrong action and wrong choice”.
According to him, a “50% tariff increase by the NCC at this time is only a final burial to the already struggling economy.
“All sectors of the economy need adequate communication to keep up with their game; the outturn will be spontaneous”.
Yunusa lamented that there “was an influx of 14 million Nigerians into poverty in one year, caused by uninformed government policies and poor economic decisions”, stressing that the country has “never experienced this height of surge since her independence”.
He appealed to the NCC and the Communications and Digital Economy Ministry to “thread cautiously and wisely, get the data right, opt for accurate information, do their analysis objectively, consider the post and aftermath of such actions, and always put the interest of the Nigerian people first.
“Have we thought about what would happen to the SMEs, SMSE, etc? Communication is the life wire of any nation.
“We are yet to recover from the inflation surge affecting basically all foodstuffs and household items, high cost of transportation and other internal disruptions caused by the fuel subsidy removal and other government policies.
“In a nutshell, a 50% tariff hike is a no no no for me; wrong timing; wrong action; wrong choice: and probably wrong outcome.
“The NCC should adopt an immediate reversal of the hike, substantially plan for it, and if there is any need for implementation after a period of time, not 50%. 15% will do”.
Nigerians plan nationwide protest
Irked by the development, DAILY POST gathered on Saturday that a cross-section of Nigerians are currently planning to stage protests across the nation to compel the government agency to reverse its decision.
Popular Nigerian activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore told DAILY POST on Saturday that discussions on the nationwide protest are underway.
In a chat with our correspondent, Sowore, who described the tariff increase as unjust, said he recently met with the leadership of the NLC to harmonize plans for nationwide actions to reverse the decision.
“I met with the NLC leadership yesterday to discuss possible nationwide action against this unjust and backbreaking tarring increase.
“Yes, I will support any form of credible protest”, he said.
Another activist, Comrade Timothy Onyilo said the tariff increase would discourage students from research in higher institutions.
According to him, “the only language the government understands is protest and they are going to have it.
“Did they really consider students before coming up with this decision or they just feel like everybody is the same?
“We are already pained that students are suffering due to the high cost of living and you still want to add to their problems.
“Every student needs the internet for academic research. I am doing my MSc in the Abuja university here.
“We spend a lot of data doing research. Things are already hard and some people are still making it harder.
“Instead of them finding a way to improve the services, they are only interested in taking money from us.
“Sometimes, MTN, Glo and even Airtel will frustrate your life as if they are giving you service for free, yet nobody is talking about that”.
DAILY POST recalls that the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to reverse the decision or face nationwide protests.
The association in a statement on Wednesday noted that affordable internet access was crucial for bridging the educational gap in Nigeria and warned that the tariff hike would further exclude millions of students from accessing quality education, deepening the digital divide.
Meanwhile, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, had mandated the telecommunication industry to prioritize service improvement including network reliability, speed and accessibility, in the planned tariff adjustments.
In a recent statement by its Director, Corporate Affairs, Ondanje Ijagwu, FCCPC said although it acknowledged the economic pressures faced by telecom operators in the country, including increasing operational costs, “consumer interests remain paramount”.
(Daily Post)
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