NLC Calls on Subscribers to Reject Proposed 50% Telecom Tariff Hike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged telecom subscribers to oppose the proposed 50% tariff increase, citing concerns over economic hardship and affordability.

The Nigeria Labour Congress has urged telecommunication subscribers to “oppose” the Federal Government’s new 50 percent tariff increase.

In a statement posted on its X account, NLC declared “Reject This Tariff.”

The Federal Government authorized a 50 percent increase following operators’ initial request for a 100 percent rise.

This increase, the first in more than ten years, is intended to rejuvenate the struggling telecom sector that accounts for approximately 14 percent of Nigeria’s economy.

In response to the development, the NLC characterized the increase as a burden on Nigerians.

It stated, “Calls now cost N16.50 per minute, increased from N11 per minute. SMS charges are now N6 per message, up from the previous rate of N4 each. The price for a 1GB data bundle has risen to N431.25 from an earlier charge of N287.50.”

“50% Increase in Telecom Tariffs: An Additional Heavy Burden on Nigerians.”

Earlier in the week, NLC President Joe Ajaero criticized the federal government’s approval of 8 billion naira for an initiative to educate Nigerians about the importance of paying electricity bills.

He stated, “Nigeria’s power sector is nearing collapse due to the ongoing display of gross incompetence by its leaders. Despite being endowed with significant authority under the Electricity Act of 2023, the National Electricity Regulatory Commission has consistently failed to regulate effectively or seems reluctant to fulfill its responsibilities towards Nigerian electricity consumers. Meanwhile, the minister responsible appears more interested in securing approximately N8 billion for educating Nigerians on how to pay their electricity bills.”

It is thus unsurprising that power grid failures have become a recurring issue, continually falling victim to greed and blatant incompetence.

He also demanded the resignation of Minister Adebayo Adelabu and other officials in the Ministry of Power due to the recurrent collapses of the national power grid.

Ajaero stated that if the Ministry of Power were staffed with competent officials, the ongoing and embarrassing issue of constant grid collapses could have been prevented. Instead, he criticized the Minister’s concerning remark suggesting this situation is normal.

We believe this clearly demonstrates the Ministry’s incapacity and failure, and we question why they wouldn’t take the honorable step of resigning.

It is important to note that the frequency of National Grid collapses under these leaders exceeds that experienced under all previous leaders in our nation’s history combined. Instead of making verbose statements, Nigerians expect a more serious approach to managing their affairs.

In a separate development, Ajaero criticized Adelabu regarding electricity bands and migration strategies.

The labor leader challenged the rationale behind placing some individuals in Band A while others are assigned to lower bands, arguing that this practice is discriminatory.