The House of Representatives has condemned the poor service delivery by telecom operators and insisted that any tariff increase should be postponed until service quality improves. Lawmakers directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to suspend the recent tariff hike, citing the severe economic hardship facing Nigerians.
Despite this directive, telecom operators have already begun implementing a 50% increase in call, data, and SMS charges, as approved earlier by the NCC. Many subscribers reported the sharp price surge on social media.
As of December 2023, Nigeria had over 224 million telecom subscribers, according to NCC data. MTN leads with 87 million users (38.79% market share), followed by Globacom and Airtel with 61 million each, while 9mobile has 13.9 million.
In January, the NCC announced the tariff hike, arguing that it was necessary for industry sustainability. NCC spokesperson Reuben Muoka stated that while some telecom operators had requested a 100% increase, regulators settled on a 50% adjustment after considering economic factors. The move is backed by Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, which grants the NCC power to regulate tariffs.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) had initially threatened to protest the price hike but later called off their planned industrial action after last-minute talks with government officials.
This development comes as Nigerians face the worst economic crisis in decades, driven by inflation, currency devaluation, and subsidy removals. Since taking office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu has implemented major economic reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidies and the floating of the naira, which has fallen from ₦700/$ to over ₦1,600/$. Fuel prices have more than quadrupled, pushing inflation to record highs and worsening the cost-of-living crisis.
With growing discontent over rising prices and poor telecom services, Nigerians are calling on the government to reverse the tariff hike and ensure telecom providers deliver better service quality before any further increases.
