The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu to reverse the recent 50 per cent telecom tariff hike.
In a statement posted on its X page on Tuesday, SERAP threatened to take legal action against the Tinubu administration if the increase was not rescinded.
“The Tinubu administration and telcos must immediately reverse the unlawful increase in calls and data costs. We’ll see in court if the 50% tariff hike is not reversed within 48 hours”, the statement read.
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The New Daily Prime earlier reported that telephone subscribers in Nigeria are now required to pay more for data and airtime following the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) approval of a 50 per cent tariff increase for telecom operators on Monday.
In a statement, NCC spokesman Reuben Muoka explained that the price adjustment, though lower than the “over 100 per cent requested by some network operators,” was determined after considering ongoing industry reforms aimed at ensuring sustainability.
The NCC noted that the increase aligns with its regulatory powers under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 (NCA), which authorizes it to regulate and approve tariff rates for telecommunications operators.
The Commission acknowledged the financial pressures on Nigerian households and businesses and assured the public that it remained empathetic to the impact of the tariff adjustment.
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As of December 2023, Nigeria has over 224 million subscribers, according to official data from the NCC.
MTN leads the market with over 87 million subscribers, representing 38.79 per cent of the total market share. Globacom and Airtel each have 61 million subscribers, while 9mobile accounts for 13.9 million users.
