The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, on Tuesday defended the decision to approve a 50 per cent tariff hike for telecom services, despite widespread backlash and legal threats from advocacy groups and subscribers.
Minister Tijani, who appeared before lawmakers to defend the ministry’s budget, explained that the tariff hike was driven by broader economic pressures, including rising inflation and the cost of imported goods.
“Rising inflation and operational costs are the reasons for the recent tariff increase,” Tijani, who is also spearheading the country’s ambitious 90,000-kilometre fibre project, explained to the lawmakers.
The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project said they plan to challenge the tariff increase in court, describing it as burdensome and unlawful.
The President of NATCOMS, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told newsmen on Tuesday that the association would engage the telecom regulator, NCC, this week in an attempt to reverse the hike to 10 per cent.
However, if the meeting does not take place or fails to yield results, NATCOMS will proceed with legal action next week.
Ogunbanjo explained that while the association might accept a modest tariff increase of five to 10 per cent, anything beyond that would be deemed unacceptable.
On its part, SERAP issued a 48-hour ultimatum to reverse the tariff increase, calling it “unlawful.”
