Telecom tariff: Nationwide protest looms as Nigerians reject increase

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The Nigerian Communications Commission, or NCC, recently approved a 50% pricing rise for telecommunications operators, sparking a statewide protest in Nigeria.

According to reports, cellular companies like MTN and Airtel have asked a 100% pricing hike in response to the growing financial difficulties brought on by the devaluation of the naira and rising operating costs in Africa’s most populous country.

On Monday, January 20, however, Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, declared that a 50% pricing rise had been approved.

Nigerians should expect to pay N16.5 per minute for calls from N11, N4 for SMS to N6, and N431.25 for 1 gigabit of data by the time Mobil Network Operators apply the approved pricing.

However, there are strong objections from some stakeholders who claim that the increase is coming at the wrong time and point to the current economic crisis facing the country.

Remember that the Nigeria Labour Congress, or NLC, threatened to organize workers to boycott telecom services in response to the proposed pricing increase, rallying Nigerians to oppose “another harsh burden.”

According to the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), the levy that is set to go into effect in February is ridiculous and will aggravate the already difficult living conditions of Nigerians and workers.

Stop the tariff increase immediately, Yunusa Tanko tells FG.

Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, urged the Federal Government to stop the tariff rise, calling it a “wrong timing, wrong action, and wrong choice,” in an exclusive interview with reporters on Saturday.

In his opinion, 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 intend to stage a nationwide demonstration.

Startled by the change, According to information obtained on Saturday, a variety of Nigerians are presently preparing to hold demonstrations throughout the country in an effort to force the government organization to change its mind.

Popular Omoyele Sowore, a politician and activist from Nigeria, informed reporters on Saturday that talks are in progress on the nationwide demonstration.

Sowore, who called the tariff hike unfair, told our correspondent that he just met with the NLC leadership to coordinate plans for national activities to overturn the ruling.

“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”.

Remembers how the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy was given a 72-hour ultimatum by the National Association of Nigerian Students, or NANS, to change the decision or face protests across the country.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the association cautioned that the tariff hike would further deny millions of children access to high-quality education, thereby widening the digital divide. It also stated that affordable internet access was essential for closing the educational gap in Nigeria.

In the meantime, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, or FCCPC, had ordered the telecom sector to give service enhancements including network speed, dependability, and accessibility first priority when making the proposed rate changes.

Ondanje Ijagwu, the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, recently stated that while the organization recognized the financial strains that the nation’s telecom providers were under, including rising operating expenses, “consumer interests remain paramount.”


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