Telecom Subscribers at the weekend faulted the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, for saying that the industry will witness a hike of between 30 and 60 percent in end user telecom tariffs in the country.
They say the minister’s statement is contrary to the agreements reached between the Consumer Bureau Department of the Commission Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and stakeholders at a meeting convened on January 9, 2025 at the NCC headquarters in Abuja.
The subscribers, acting under the aegis of Association of Telephone, Cable Tv and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS-Nigeria), ATCIS is the only leading Telecom Subscriber advocacy body in Nigeria with over 220 million membership across 36 states in the six geo-political zones of the country. It has a mission to promote mutual co-existence, fair play, defend the rights of Telecom Subscribers, by endorsing and ensuring good products and network service delivery from network operators and service providers to corporate and individual members, while providing a platform to advance the rights of Telephone, Cable Tv and Internet Subscribers, also said the minister has no power to fix price in a liberalised market.
National President of ATCIS, Sina Bilesanmi, said tariff hike was not one of the issues agreed upon with the regulator in Abuja, wondering why the minister is interested in hiking tariffs to the detriment of struggling Nigerians still reeling under the impact of economic reforms.
According to him, what was agreed on at the January 9 Abuja meeting was that
there will be no telecoms tariff hike for now until all the stakeholders, particularly the subscribers, are sufficiently enlightened and sensitised.
Tijani, in a Television interview, had said even though the mobile network operators (MNOs) are saying a 100 per cent increase is what is needed to stabilise the sector, the government knows that such a level of increase will be harmful to the people.
On the threshold of the expected hike, he said: “I think it should not be more than anywhere between 30 to 60 per cent.”
“We have already made it clear that we are not going to approve 100 per cent. These companies are asking for 100 per cent, stating clearly that this is what they believe they need to get.
“But what we are looking at in terms of the sector is that if this is the sector that is responsible for driving growth in our country, it will be harmful to our people to allow MNO to increase by 100 per cent.”
However, Bilesanmi said it was not the duty of the minister to speak for telecom sector pricing, a delicate area in which the NCC employs and start doing the consultants to do data based empirical cost analysis.
“Our resolution was; 1.Telcos Operators needs to respect the Telecom Subscriber advocacy body &
act of NCC.
2.NCC should tell telcos Operators to first meet with ATCIS being the telecom subscriber advocacy body for Consultation Involvement, Enlightenment & Engagement.
3.Once telecom subscriber advocacy body agreed, it will call for public opinions percent rate, ATCIS then write NCC for approval, and anything outside of these may not work, as Telecom Subscriber advocacy bodies we should have say here in collaboration with NCC because we’re the one paying the money involved.
We agreed at the meeting that there will be no hike but a further deliberation / Consultation still going on the issue with relevant stakeholders, especially the MNOs and the subscribers to meet.
“The MNOs, through their representatives (ATCON and ALTON) were supposed to organise an enlightenment/sensitisation programme to address the issues. The MNOs were supposed to discuss the percentage increment with the subscribers’ representatives after which it will be taken to the subscribers for discussion. At the end of the meetings, we were expected to communicate an equilibrium price (a fair price agreeable to all) to the NCC for final approval,” he said.
According to Bilesanmi, any tariff hike will do more harm than good to the subscribers at a time they are struggling to cope. “It will further impoverish our members, especially small business owners whose offices and shops are their mobile phones and laptops.
A hike in voice and data prices without recourse to the subscribers will spell doom for their business,” he said, adding that it might slow down the gains of the government’s digital economy’s ambitions.
ATCIS has a history of advocating for citizens’ rights, the organization has secured employment opportunities for its members, featured in over 1,240 newspaper publications & 20 numerous National Tv and Radio media outlets on weekly tagged “Know Your Right as Telecom Subscribers” and achieved 367 successful programs and reforms with over 25 awards from reputable firms both Local and International. It remains dedicated to protecting the rights of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers across Nigeria. ATCIS has spent 904 million naira for the interest & betterment of Telecom Subscriber on advocacy only since 2015 till date 20th January, 2025.