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JUST IN: Why We Called-Off Planned Protest Against Telecom Tariff Hike – NCSCN

By Stanley Iwuoha

The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria, NCSCN Monday announced the suspension of it’s proposed protest against the 50% telecom tariff hike by Federal government. The NCSCN said it was compelled to step down the protest after it was disarmed by the convincing presentations of facts and evidence to warrant the tariff increase for the telecom operators.
The Council announced this at the presentation of its findings and fiun position on the controversial approved tariff hike by the regulatory authorities.
Recall that the Federal Government through the Federal Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani had last week announced a 50% tariff increase on telecommunications services from 100% requested by the operators.
The announcement has since then not gone down well with the Nigerian masses, with several Civil Society organisations, including the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC calling for protest to register their disapproval of the increase.

It said after a robust engagement and debate with the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, on the operational cost of the service providers and other circumstances that necessitated the upward review of the telecom tariff,
it saw reasons with the NCC to increase the tariff at most to 50% to save the industry from imminent collapse.

The National President of the Council, Blessing Akinlosotu, who addressed the press explained that the Council didn’t have enough information prior to the decision to embark on the proposed protest but having suspended the protest, the Council will continue to engage with the NCC and the operators in a more robustly and appealed to the masses to reason along with government.
He listed vandalism, high cost of diesel, high inflation and multiple taxation as major factors responsible for high operation cost of the telecom operators.
Akinlosotu called on all members of the NCSCN to shield their swords for now, as the Council call off the planned Protest earlier scheduled to commence (today Monday, January 3, 2025) and to accept the painful and bitter realities being faced in the Operational Cost by Service Providers and allow for the tariff adjustment
NCSCN equally appealed to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC to review its position on this matter and find reasons to allow for this unavoidable tariff adjustment, to prevent what he called system collapse of telecom services in Nigeria, “seeing that most businesses are already folding up and leaving the Country owing to high Production Costs.”
He also appealed to Nigerian to keep faith with the NCC leadership as it has shown commitment and patriotism to the well-being of the People, which is the reason the Tariff has been kept at a relatively low level, till date.
He further charged the Federal government to declare state of emergency in the energy sector by improving on electricity supply across the country, and ensure further improvement in the Security architecture, with equal attention to reducing the Rate of Forex in favour of the Naira, which are the Primary Causes of High Cost of Productions and doing business in the Country.
This he said such action would limit the tendency for tariff hike and relocation of small and big industries from Nigeria to neighbouring countries.
Justifying it’s decision to suspend it’s proposed protest action, the NCSCN President, said: “An Emergency Meeting of the Council was convened last week Monday, breaching our 2025 Operational Calendar , designed to commence last week of February with the Q1 (First Quarter) General Assembly. That breach in Time-Table we all know was necessitated by the shocking news of approval by the Federal Government to Telecom Service Providers to hike Service Tariff to an upper limit of 50%.

“Sequel to the Emergency Meeting, wherein resolution was reached for the Council and all our 620 Affiliates to hold a World Press Conference on Friday last week to strongly condemn the decision of Government, and afterwards commence a Peaceful Protest to occupy the Headquarters of the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) and the National Assembly, until the decision is reversed.
“In line with the standing tradition of Council, Letters of Pre-Action Notice was written to relevant quarters, including the NCC. Receiving our letter, the NCC exhibited a very high sense of responsiveness and responsibility by reaching out to the Council, less than 24 Hours. The Council leadership then set up an 11-Man crack team, equipped with details of the Emergency Meeting and available facts on the matter.
“In fact, the delegation prepared for a showdown and intellectual tug-of-war with the NCC, with little or no room to entertain excuses from the Commission. The Meeting held on Thursday last week, lasting for about 4 uninterrupted hours, with heated arguments and exchanges of facts and figures. At the end of the day, so much revelations emerged which we has put together in the long text to present to both the Organized Civil Society Community, the Press and the Nigerian People, for all to see and consider, in other to be better informed in taken action, going forward.
“It must be made clear at this point that that the Civil Society Council remains resolute to stand for the well-being of the Nigerian People and relentlessly fight for the Rights of the Citizens at all times and in all circumstance, nothing can derail us from our mandate and purpose of establishment. The Masses First, Patriotism non-negotiable, remains our Philosophy.
“After the tensed and robust engagement with the Management of NCC, we further set up a 5-Man Technical Committee to carefully study documents presented to us, and asked the Committee to do clinical and forensic examination of available records of operational costs and annual profits margins of some major Telecom Service Providers in Nigeria, with critical assessments of Financial Statements.
“Our findings were very interesting and calls for serious review of position and planned line of action.
Confirmed facts and figures by the Technical Committee: That there has not been any Tariff Adjustment by Operator since 2013 despite rising inflation and unfavorable environments and economic realities; like every other local and international businesses depend on same enabling factors and variables as Electricity, Foreign Exchange, Secured Environments etc to operate and do businesses profitably; that Electricity Tariffs and cost of Diesel has skyrocketed on the Telecom Service Providers; that Insecurity and constant vandalization of facilities and cable lines has become a serious reoccurrence and thread to the continued operations and profitability of the Telecom Businesses in Nigeria; that the 50% is simply an upper ceiling that must not be exceeded, operators may still be driven by competition to slightly adjust and not shoot up to the 50%; that as other factors as Electricity, Diesel, Security improves, Rates will naturally come down as has been the case in the industry for over 2 decades running whereby rates of calls and services have been in steady decline; that NCC has issued a detailed and comprehensive Terms and Condition for improvement in Services Nationwide and Reformation in the Industry in favour of Consumers, necessitating structural and equipment upgrades by Service Providers, which will result in radical improvement in Telecom Services in Nigeria; that the Service Providers are mandated to abide by the Guidelines and Term and Condition before any upward Adjustments in Tariff;
That the 50% approval is significantly understandable considering the percentage rise in Forex, Diesel and other variables, which is upto 700% in some cases; that Nigeria still enjoys relatively one of the lowest Tariffs globally. Even the 50% adjustment is less than 10k in value.”
Having carefully done a forensic analysis of the facts and figures available on this burning national issue, the Leadership of NCSCN, said the situation calls for more understanding on all sides, hence, the following advice:
“That the NCC ensures that the Terms and Conditions reached with the Telecom Service Providers are strictly adhered to without any compromise, with quality and spread of services improved remarkable, as a matter of urgency; that the NCC improve on monitoring mechanism to verify and checkmate actual Tariff Rates of various Service Providers, and causing all to do a periodic public statements on operations; that the Telecom Service Providers show more patriotism and loyalty to customers by charging the most minimal Tariff Rates and not necessarily going for the upper sealing of 50% but favour the Customers and Nigerian People in their individual adjustments of the Tariff.”
The Council, however, affirmed the call off of its planned protest, and resort to embark on further consultations and sensitization on the facts and figures before it, considering the bitter realities on ground from all sides.
Other members of the Council, who spoke at the event aligned with the President’s position and said they took the tough decision to call off their planned protest in order not to allow a collapse of the critical sector to the economic growth of the nation. They also called for improvement on government conflict management style to always reach a win-win situation in all conflicts rather than facing confrontation with stakeholders.

End

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