A nationwide protest is currently brewing in Nigeria following the recent approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, for telecommunication operators to increase tariffs by 50%.
Following the mounting financial struggles birthed by the devaluation of the naira and increasing operational costs in Africa’s most populous nation, telecom operators like MTN and Airtel demanded a 100% tariff increase.
However, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, on Monday, January 20 announced the approval of a 50% tariff increase.
By the time the Mobile Network Operators implement the approved tariff, Nigerians are expected to pay N16.5 per minute for calls from N11, the cost of SMS to N6 from N4, and the cost of 1 gigabit of data – N431.25.
There are, however, stiff oppositions from some stakeholders, who argue that the increment is coming at the wrong time, citing the economic hardship bedevilling the nation at the moment.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC had while reacting to the proposed tariff increase, rallied Nigerians to reject “another harsh burden”, threatening to mobilize workers to boycott telecom services.
Similarly, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC described the tariff scheduled to begin in February as outrageous, lamenting that it will worsen the harsh living conditions of workers and Nigerians.
Halt the tariff hike now – Yunusa Tanko tells FG
In an interview, the National Coordinator of 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, 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 said on Saturday that discussions on the nationwide protest are underway.
In a chat, 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 did 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 at 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”.
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 of 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”.
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