- Ask MTN, GLO, Airtel, others to raise funds through public offers
The recent approval of a tariff hike has forced telecom subscribers to threaten to sue the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers has decided to take decisive action to stop the NCC from implementing the hike.
On January 20, 2025, the NCC announced regulatory approval for telecom operators to raise tariffs by 50 per cent.
NCC said the tariff hike will help the operators improve the country’s telecommunication infrastructure.
The tariff hike followed agitations from the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria to review call tariffs upwards.
The operators had requested a 100 per cent tariff raise.
In a fresh development, the President of NATCOMS, Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the NCC did not consult subscribers on the matter.
He kicked against the 50 per cent hike, adding that a five per cent to ten per cent marginal increase was a better option.
He said, “This will affect everyone from the biggest industry to the smallest company, such as the Point of Service (POS) operators.
“We now depend on telecoms for our meetings, for the banks, everybody depends on it, even the education sector. Yes, a lot of things depend on it.
“So, that is why we painfully agreed that look, a moderate or marginal five per cent to 10 per cent increase will be fine.
“You know, we do not mind an increase if it is to salvage the industry that is helping us, which means so much to us. This is also contributing double-digits to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“So, we appreciate that. It’s painful, but we agreed. We said, “Okay, we will not mind if it is just a five per cent to 10 per cent increase.”
He said telecom operators could raise funds through the Nigerian capital market by selling shares or other instruments.
He said, “The industry operators can opt for an Initial Public Offer (IPO) for Nigerians to buy shares in their companies as a way of raising funds.
“However, a situation where a whole 50 per cent is granted for a tariff hike is not cheap and it is a no from us subscribers.
“I mean, for what we are already going through, no for us, we will challenge this in court.”
On January 16, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said a hike in telecom tariffs would not exceed 60 per cent.
Tijani had said a 100 per cent increase would hurt Nigerians and hamper the country’s economic growth.
