‘50% Telecom Tariff Hike Is Another Harsh Burden’ – NLC Tells Subscribers To Reject Increase

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has urged subscribers to reject the proposed 50 percent hike in telecom tariffs by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with telecom operators.

Naija News reports that the Federal Government approved a 50 percent increase after operators initially requested a 100 percent increase.

The hike, which is the first in over a decade, aims to revitalize the telecom sector, contributing about 14 percent to Nigeria’s economy.

In a statement via its X handle, NLC said the increment is another harsh burden on Nigerians, and they should reject it.

It wrote, “Reject This Tariff. N16.50 per minute, calls costs increased from N11 per minute. N6 per message, SMS charges increased from N4 per message. N431.25 per IGB data bundle” IGB data bundle increased from N287.50.

“50% telecom tariff hike: Another burden too harsh on Nigerians.”

Meanwhile, the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, in an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, asserted that any increase must be accompanied by genuine stakeholder engagement to explore sustainable alternatives that do not jeopardize Nigerians’ livelihoods.

While questioning the rationale behind the proposed hike, particularly given the significant growth of the telecom sector over the years, Ajaero described the move as an undue burden on Nigerians already grappling with rising inflation, high transportation costs, increased electricity tariffs, and the general economic downturn.

The NLC President further emphasized that the proposed tariff hike would worsen inflation and aggravate the economic hardship faced by millions of Nigerians.