50% TARIFF HIKE: REPS, NCC URGE LABOUR TO SHELVE PLANNED PROTEST
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The House of Representatives’ Committee on Communications is in talks with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to prevent the nationwide protest scheduled for February 4, 2025, in response to the 50% hike in telecom tariffs.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently approved the tariff increase, citing rising operational costs.
Outraged by the decision, the NLC has vowed to stage a nationwide protest, demanding that the Federal Government and the National Assembly revert to the previous tariff in the interim.
The union noted that the rally would serve as a warning on the dangers of imposing such “an unfair increase on a struggling population earning a minimum wage of only N70,000—a population that has suffered an outrageous hike in the price of petrol, high cost of food, hike in electricity tariff, among sundry hardship in the past few years.”
In an exclusive interview with newsmen, the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason, revealed that the panel is actively engaging with the NLC to persuade them to cancel the planned mass protest.
Akpatason, who represents Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency in Edo State, expressed concerns that allowing the protest to go ahead would only add to the hardship already faced by Nigerians.
He said, “The committee that I chair is already reaching out to the leadership of labour and the industry operators, to avert any action that would rather bring more hardship to the people.
“We had earlier met with the industry operators, who explained the numerous challenges bedeviling the sector, such as inadequate funding for infrastructure upgrades to address the consumers’ complaints about declining quality of services and poor coverage. I will advise that we look at the issues objectively before embarking on any protests.”
Similarly, the Director of Public Affairs of the NCC, Reuben Mouka, told our correspondent that the commission was making an effort to engage the NLC over the new telecom tariff.
“We are trying to engage them,” he said.
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