Following a motion of urgent national importance by a member, Oboku Oforji, the House of Representatives on Tuesday called for the immediate suspension of the 50% hike in telecoms tariff.
The House also decried the poor service delivery from telecom operators and insisted that an increase in tariff should not happen until service improves.
The lawmakers ordered the NCC and the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to suspend the tariff increase because of the economic hardship in the country.
This was as telecommunications operators in the country began the implementation of the new tariff regime earlier approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Many subscribers on social media who used the services of telecoms operators on Tuesday observed about 50% increase in the cost of calls, data and text messages.
As of December 2023, Nigeria has over 224 million subscribers, according to official data by the regulator. MTN boasts of over 87 million subscribers, representing 38.79% of the total market share, the highest in the country by any licensed Mobile Network Operator (MNO). Globacom and Airtel have 61 million subscribers each while 9mobile has 13.9 million users.
Earlier in January, the NCC said telephone subscribers in Nigeria would pay more for data and airtime as it approved a 50% tariff increase for telecoms operators in the country.
A spokesman for the regulator Reuben Muoka had said the price adjustment though lower than the “over 100% requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability”.
The regulator had said the increase was pursuant to its power under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 (NCA) to regulate and approve tariff rates and charges by telecommunications operators.
Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had threatened an industrial action, demanding a reversal of the hike but the labour unions aborted their rallies after last-minute talks with government representatives.
Nigerians are experiencing what many have described as the worst economic crisis in decades following the removal of energy subsidies and the floating of the naira. The two economic policies, many believed, have plunged Nigeria into severe inflationary pressures.
After his inauguration in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor, removed petrol subsidy and floated the naira. Petrol prices more than quadrupled, soaring from less than N200 per litre to over N1,100 in many parts of the country. The naira also took a nosedive, wobbling from around N700/$ to N1,600.
Food and commodity inflation have skyrocketed as Nigerians battle what can pass for the worst cost of living crisis since the country’s independence over six decades ago.
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