Friday, January 10, 2025 - The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has announced that telecom tariffs in Nigeria will soon increase, but not by the 100 percent proposed by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).
Following a stakeholders' meeting with the MNOs in Abuja on Wednesday,
Tijani confirmed that consultations and engagements are ongoing, and the
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will soon approve and announce the new
tariffs to the public.
“You have seen over the past weeks that there has been agitation from
some of these companies to increase tariffs. They are requesting for 100
percent tariff increase. But it will not be by 100 percent; the NCC will soon
come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it. We want to strike
the balance as a government, to protect our people, but also protect and ensure
that these companies can continue to invest significantly,” Tijani said.
He emphasized the importance of regulating the telecommunications sector
to ensure its growth and sustainability. Tijani also stated that the Federal
Government would no longer leave infrastructure investments solely to private
companies, as they tend to invest only where they can see short- to medium-term
returns.
“We will not want this conversation to just be about tariff increase.
What the world is talking about today is meaningful connectivity, people want
to have access to quality service. A part of it that the consumers may not be
aware of is the investment that needs to go into the infrastructure that is
used to deliver these services,” he added.
The Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, explained that
the stakeholder meeting was focused on ensuring the sustainability of the
industry. He confirmed that a 100 percent tariff increase was unlikely and that
ongoing discussions would determine the final percentage, with an official
announcement expected within a week or two.
“I know that Nigerians are agitated to hear the exact percentage
approved. There is still some stakeholder engagements that we are going
through, but you will hear from us within a week or two,” Maida said.
He also mentioned that the NCC had implemented several tools and
instruments to ensure compliance with service quality standards and urged MNOs
to adopt simpler pricing models to help consumers better understand charges.
“We are moving away from the regime where you will have a main rate,
then you will now have a bonus which is at a different rate. It makes it often
complicated and difficult for Nigerians to actually understand what they are
being charged for. There is this agitation that the MNOs are stealing our
data,” he added.
The CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, represented by Airtel’s
media spokesperson Femi Adeniran, defended the proposed tariff adjustments,
citing rising operational and capital costs.
“The economic realities of rising operational and capital costs
necessitated the proposed tariff adjustments. This is aimed at ensuring the
long-term sustainability of the sector while unlocking significant benefits for
Nigerian consumers,” Balsingh stated.
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