Reps Kick Against Telecom Tariff Hike
The House of Representatives has called on the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani and the Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC), to suspend the impending hike in telecommunications tariffs until their service improved.
The call followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Rep. Obuku Offorji at the plenary on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, he recalled that the minister had, after a stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, 8th January, announced that telecommunications tariffs would soon be increased by the telecom operators in the country.
According to the minister, consultations are ongoing as there have been agitations from some of these companies to increase tariffs to as high as 100 percent.
He however said it would not be a 100 percent increase and that the NCC would approve the new tariffs and announce them in due course.
However the lawmaker faulted the arguments of the telecommunications companies for the hike which include, the cost of investment, better networks, increasing demand for digital services across sectors such as education, banking and healthcare.
Offorji said, “The telecommunications companies have been advocating for the hike for the last 11 years, according to the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). They argued that the telcos need cost-reflective tariffs in the face of adverse economic reality like a record inflation of 34.6 percent in November 2024 and losses resulting from foreign exchange fluctuations.
“The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers has rejected the proposed increase in tariffs, describing it as insensitive and a further burden on consumers already grappling with economic hardship, and poor network service delivery.
“It is imperative that the telecommunications companies improve on their service delivery, which Nigerians have been yearning for, before embarking on the increase in their tariffs.
“The far reaching effects of these price hikes will deepen financial struggles for the average Nigerian, threaten the country’s vision of leveraging technology to drive economic revival, exacerbate poverty and widen existing inequalities, hitting lower income families the hardest.
“Affordable connectivity is a must for progress in critical sectors like digital banking, education, healthcare, agriculture and e- governance. Informal sector workers who depend on affordable mobile data to access gig work opportunities may find it harder to stay connected.”
