NCC FACES BACKLASH OVER 50% TELECOM TARIFF INCREASE 22-01-25
By Sadiq Aminu The Grassroots Centre for Rights and Civic Orientation a Civil Society Organisation, has strongly condemned the Nigeria Communications Commission’s (NCC) recent approval of a 50% increase in telecom tariffs.
The organisation criticised the decision, describing it as an unjustifiable burden on Nigerians already grappling with economic hardships.
The tariff hike will see the cost of calls rise from N11 to N16.50 per minute, SMS rates increase from N4 to N6, and data prices surge from N350 to N431.25 per gigabyte.
The Centre argued that the increase is exploitative, given the persistent poor quality of telecom services, including dropped calls, internet downtime, and other service disruptions.
In a statement by the Executive Director Grassroots Centre, Armsfree Ajanaku, notes that the NCC justified the hike by citing rising operational costs, inflation, and foreign exchange volatility.
However, he questioned why the regulator failed to prioritize improving service quality before approving higher tariffs.
The Centre also blamed the government’s economic policies for escalating costs, emphasising that Nigerians should not bear the brunt of poor policymaking.
It calls for an immediate reversal of the tariff hike and urged the NCC to implement a clear framework for improving service delivery.