Nigerians are reeling from a 50% price hike on telecom services, with MTN and Airtel already implementing the increase. The House of Representatives has intervened, urging the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Minister of Communications to suspend the hike. Lawmakers argue that the timing couldn’t be worse, with inflation soaring at 34.6% and fuel subsidies gone.
Hon. Oboku Oforji from Bayelsa emphasized that small businesses rely heavily on affordable telecom services and that even a 10% increase could cut their profits by 7%. He also criticized telecom companies for prioritizing price hikes over improving their poor network services.
Telecom companies, however, defend the hike as necessary to sustain the industry. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), warned that underinvestment in the sector could lead to worsening network quality and even collapse.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for a nationwide boycott of mobile telecom services starting today, Thursday, February 13, 2025, to protest the price hike.
The union claims that telecom companies reneged on an agreement with the Federal Government not to increase prices. The battle between telecom companies, lawmakers, and the NLC is far from over.
