The Federal Government has reduced the proposed hike in telecommunications tariffs from 50 percent to 35 following relentless pressure from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Sources said this decision came after a meeting between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) officials, government representatives, and labour leaders at the National Security Adviser (NSA’s) office on Friday, February 21, 2025.
According to those in the know, the meeting, which lasted for about three hours, saw NLC officials strongly opposing the tariff increase, and after persistent demands, the government and the NCC agreed to lower the proposed hike by 15%.
An official announcement confirming the new tariff structure is expected soon.
NEW DAILY PRIME reported that the NLC had earlier criticized the tariff hike, arguing that it violated an agreement previously reached with the government and telecom regulators.
The union warned that if the new rates were not reversed by the end of February, a nationwide shutdown of telecom services would begin on March 1, 2025.
To push back against the increase, the NLC directed workers and the public to boycott MTN, Airtel, and Glo services daily from 11:00am to 2:00pm.
The union also urged people to stop purchasing data from these companies, accusing them of exploiting Nigerian consumers.
In a statement released after a meeting in Lokoja, Kogi State, labour leaders condemned the telecom companies for implementing the increase without waiting for the outcome of a committee’s review.
They described it as a breach of trust and an attack on Nigerians struggling with economic hardship.
