House Urges NCC, Minister to Suspend Planned Telecoms Tariff Hike

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The House of Representatives has called on the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani and the Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC) to suspend the impending hike in telecommunications tariffs until their service improves.

The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance on the need for the NCC not to approve the impending hike in the telecommunications tariffs moved at yesterday’s plenary by Hon. Oforji Oboku.

Moving the motion, the lawmaker recalled that speaking after a stakeholders’ meeting with Mobile Network Operators in Abuja on Wednesday 8th of January, 2025, Tijani had disclosed that telecommunication tariffs would soon increase.

Oboku said 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 said the minister, however, had disclosed that it would not be a 100 percent increase and that the NCC would approve the new tariffs and announce them in due course.

The lawmaker stressed that the argument of the telecommunications companies for the hike included the cost of investment, better networks, and increasing demand for digital services across sectors such as education, banking and healthcare amongst others.

Oboku recalled that telecommunications companies had 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).

He said they argued that the telcos needed 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.

Oboku expressed worry that the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers had 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.

He added: “It is imperative that the telecommunications companies improve on their service delivery (poor network), which Nigerians have been yearning for in years, before embarking on the increase in their tariffs.”

The lawmaker expressed concern that the far- reaching effects of these price hikes would 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.

Oboku argued that affordable connectivity was a must for progress in critical sectors like digital banking, education, healthcare, agriculture and e- governance.

He said informal sector workers who depend on affordable mobile data to access gig work opportunities may find it harder to stay connected.

He expressed concern that small businesses that rely heavily on affordable telecommunication for operations, marketing, and customer engagement, would face additional financial burdens.

The House resolved to, “Urge the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commissions to suspend the impending hike in telecommunications tariffs until their service improved.”

It also mandated its Committee on Telecommunications to ensure compliance.