By NLC Rejects 50% Telecom Tariff Hike, Proposes 5% Increase Amid Nationwide Protest Plans
Ghazali Ibrahim
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly opposed the 50% telecom tariff hike recently approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and plan to protest over the increment.
In a statement made on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, NLC spokesperson Benson Upah called the hike an unnecessary financial burden on Nigerians, urging that if any increase is necessary, it should be capped at 5%.
Upah expressed concern over the economic hardship on Nigerians, citing rising energy costs and other price hikes across various sectors.
He emphasized that continued financial pressure could lead to public resistance, regardless of affordability.
“They keep strangling us with senseless taxes. There will come a time when people, even if they can afford to pay, will refuse to do so,” he said.
In response to the telecom tariff hike, the NLC has announced plans for a nationwide protest on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
The protest is aimed at expressing opposition to what the NLC calls “reckless” increases that negatively affect manufacturers, the middle class, and ordinary Nigerians.
This comes at a time when international financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) continue to push for the removal of energy subsidies and the floating of the naira, policies they argue are essential to addressing Nigeria’s inflation crisis.
