Telecommunications subscribers have vehemently rejected a proposed 40 per cent telecom service tariff hike in Nigeria expected to kick off in 2025.
The National Exco of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, NATCOMS, made this known in a communique jointly signed by its National president, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, and the Secretary, Barr. Bayo Omotubora, on Tuesday.
The stance by the subscribers comes amid widespread claims of a planned telecom service tariff hike in 2025.
Reacting, NATCOMS said any plan to hike telecom service tariffs would be very insensitive amid the current economic hardship faced by Nigerians.
The association urged telecom operators to seek another alternative instead of a tariff hike to address rising operator costs.
“The National Exco of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) held an emergency meeting on the 31st of December, 2024, on the planned tariff hike of telecommunication services. A unanimous resolution arising therefrom is our total objection to the planned tariff hike.
“The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as recently published in both the print and electronic media, gave an approval to the Telecommunication Service Operators to hike their tariffs, and the approved increment would see the current tariffs rise by about 40 percent.
“This Association considers the decision of the NCC as very insensitive and not in the interest of Telecoms Services Consumers.
“The unrelenting rise in prices of goods and services in the country has made life extremely difficult for the generality of citizens who are the consumers of telecom services. The new increment is, therefore, one additional burden too many.
Under the new tariffs regime, a voice call will rise from N11.00 to N15.40 per minute. Short message services will jump from N4.00 to N5.60 and “One GB data bundle will move from N1,000 to N1,400. This represents additional digital costs consumers will have to square up with at the beginning of a new year, among other harsh economic realities of Nigeria today. This, undoubtedly, is against public interest, contrary to the false narrative of NCC that described the recent adjustments as pro public interest.
“This Association sees the increment as an official policy to price telecom services out of the reach of the generality of the citizens of this country.
“The cumulative effect of the pending suit and the public outcry prompted the federal government to suspend the implementation of the excise duty charge, but the charge is now part of the controversial tax reform bills now pending before the National Assembly.