Reps call for reversal of telecom tariff hike

The House of Representatives has called for the reversal of the 50 per cent hike in telecommunication tariff.

They made this call to the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC on Tuesday, citing the economic hardship being experienced by Nigerians owing largely to the removal of fuel subsidies.

The decision of the House was a sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Bayelsa State, Oboku Oforji during Tuesday’s plenary.

Oforji argued that though the telecommunications companies premised the hike on rising operational costs and the need for better service delivery; he noted that Nigerians were already going through a lot, just to put food on the table.

He said, “The House is aware that telecommunications companies have been advocating for the hike for the last eleven years.

“The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers has rejected the proposed increase in tariffs, describing it as insensitive and a further burden on consumers already grappling with economic hardship, and poor network service delivery.

“The telecommunications companies must improve on their service delivery (poor network), which Nigerians have been yearning for for years, before embarking on the increase in their tariffs.

“The far-reaching effects of these price hikes will deepen financial struggles for the average Nigerian, threaten the country’s vision of leveraging technology to drive economic revival, exacerbate poverty and widen existing inequalities, hitting lower-income families the hardest.”