Reps Order NCC to Suspend Proposed Telecom Tariff Increase
On the authority of the House of Representatives, the minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and the Nigerian Communications Commissions, NCC, have been asked to suspend the impending increase in telecommunications tariffs until improvement is achieved.
This resolution was the outcome of the approval of an urgent public importance motion moved at plenary session on Tuesday by Oforji Oboku.
In presenting the motion, the lawmaker recalled Tijani who spoke soon after the stakeholders’ meeting with Mobile Network Operators held in Abuja on Wednesday 8th of January, 2025, declaring that telecommunication tariffs would be increased shortly.
The argument simply captures what the telecommunications companies advocate for the increase: the cost of investment, better networks they are rolling out, and the fact that there is increasing demand for what they call digital services across several sectors, such as education, banking, and health care.
Oboku recalled that it was one of the things they celebrated a few weeks back, for which telecommunications companies had been screaming and crying for increase for the past 11 years, according to ALTON – or the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria – and ATCON, which is the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria.
He noted that the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers rejected this tariff hike, terming it insensitive and a sadistic burden on the wretched consumers who already suffered under the yoke of economic hardship and poor network service delivery.
The said that all these reasons are why there should be cost-reflective tariffs by these telcos while taking into consideration the already existing unfavorable economy situations like record inflation of 34.6 percent in the month of November 2024, along with the losses incurred as a result of the foreign exchange fluctuations.
“Before customers start feeling the effect of increased tariffs, the telecommunication companies must first improve on the service delivery (poor network) that Nigerians have been yearning for years.”
The lawmaker warned that “these uplift increases in price will not only put financial pressure on the average Nigerian but will also pose a threat to the country’s vision of using technology to restore its economy.” Exacerbate poverty and widen existing inequalities, affecting disproportionately lower-income families.
Oboku said affordable connectivity through digital banking, education, healthcare, agriculture, and e-governance must be available for development in critical areas.
The House, after adopting the motion, resolved to urge the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commissions to suspend the upcoming hike in telecommunications tariffs until their service improved.
Naijaeyes Report
