On Tuesday, following a motion of urgent national importance by member Oboku Oforji, the House of Representatives called for the immediate suspension of the 50% increase in telecom tariffs.
The House criticized the poor service provided by telecom operators and insisted that tariff hikes should not take place until service quality improves.
Lawmakers directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to halt the tariff increase due to the ongoing economic hardship in the country.
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This decision came as telecom operators began implementing the new tariff regime, which had been approved by the NCC.
Subscribers across social media platforms noted a 50% rise in the costs of calls, data, and text messages on Tuesday.
As of December 2023, Nigeria had over 224 million telecom subscribers, with MTN leading the market with over 87 million subscribers, followed by Globacom and Airtel, each with 61 million, and 9mobile with 13.9 million users.
Earlier in January, the NCC had approved a 50% tariff hike for telecom operators, with a spokesman, Reuben Muoka, explaining that although the price adjustment was lower than the “over 100%” increase requested by some operators, it was made in light of ongoing industry reforms aimed at ensuring sustainability.
The NCC justified the increase under its powers outlined in Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
Both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had threatened industrial action over the tariff hike, but later called off their protests after last-minute negotiations with the government.
Many Nigerians are currently grappling with what has been described as the worst economic crisis in decades, triggered by the removal of fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the naira.
These policies have led to severe inflation, with petrol prices soaring from under N200 per litre to over N1,100, and the naira depreciating from around N700 to N1,600 per dollar.
As a result, food and commodity prices have skyrocketed, plunging Nigerians into a severe cost-of-living crisis.
