President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Olatunbosun Tijani
Strong indications emerged Wednesday from the office of the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani that telecom tariffs will rise soon, but not by up to 100 percent, as suggested by mobile network operators (MNOs).
This was the update shared by the Minister after a stakeholders’ meeting with MNOs on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to him, consultations with the operators were ongoing, with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) set to approve and announce the new tariffs in the coming weeks.
Whereas Tijani acknowledged the operators’ push for a 100 percent increase in tariffs, he emphasized that the hike would be much lower. He added that the government aims to balance protecting consumers while ensuring that the telecom companies continue to invest in the sector.
In his views, “We don’t want the focus to solely be on tariff increases. We are also looking at meaningful connectivity and ensuring the growth of the sector,” pointing out that the government would no longer leave infrastructure investments solely to the private sector, which typically invests based on short to medium-term returns.
Meanwhile, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, affirmed that the industry’s sustainability was the focus of the meeting. He echoed the minister’s statement, clarifying that the 100 percent tariff increase would not be approved, and that further consultations would take place.
The EVC also assured that the Commission is working on ensuring that mobile network operators adopt clearer, simpler pricing models for consumers, addressing concerns over hidden charges and data theft.
Recall that ahead of the meeting, there had been rising clamour by MNOs for rise in tariff floor which had been in force for more than one decade. The MNOs say with the current economic realities, they can no longer meet up with critical financial obligations due to high cost of operations caused by naira devaluation and poorly controlled inflation.
