The Obidient Movement has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government regarding the recent approval for telecommunication operators to increase tariffs by 50%.

On Monday, January 20, 2025, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, granted approval for the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to raise tariffs by 50% due to financial struggles caused by the devaluation of the naira and rising operational costs in Africa’s most populous nation.

Telecom operators such as MTN and Airtel had requested a 100% tariff increase, but the Minister declined.

This means that Nigerians will now be charged N16.5 per minute for calls, up from N11, SMS costs have risen from N4 to N6, and the cost of 1 gigabit of data has also increased to N431.25.

However, there are concerns about the timing of the increase, with many lamenting the economic conditions in the country.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) disagreed with the recent tariff hike, citing the economic hardships faced by the country.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) described the scheduled tariff increase in February as outrageous, stating that it will worsen the living conditions of workers and Nigerians.

Also, the National Coordinator of the OBIDIENT Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko called on the Federal Government to halt the tariff increase, saying it is a “wrong timing, wrong action and wrong choice”.

He stated that a “50% tariff increase by the NCC at this time is only a final burial to the already struggling economy.

“All sectors of the economy need adequate communication to keep up with their game; the outturn will be spontaneous.”

Yunusa pointed out that there “was an influx of 14 million Nigerians into poverty in one year, caused by uninformed government policies and poor economic decisions," stressing that the country has “never experienced this height of surge since her independence”.

He warned the NCC and the Communications and Digital Economy Ministry to “thread cautiously and wisely, get the data right, opt for accurate information, do their analysis objectively, consider the post and aftermath of such actions, and always put the interest of the Nigerian people first.

“Have we thought about what would happen to the SMEs, SMSE, etc.? Communication is the life wire of any nation.

“We are yet to recover from the inflation surge affecting basically all foodstuffs and household items, high cost of transportation and other internal disruptions caused by the fuel subsidy removal and other government policies.

“In a nutshell, a 50% tariff hike is a no no no for me; wrong timing; wrong action; wrong choice: and probably wrong outcome.

“The NCC should adopt an immediate reversal of the hike, substantially plan for it, and if there is any need for implementation after a period of time, not 50%. 15% will do”.

Meanwhile, activist Omoyele Sowore has hinted on plans to embark on a nationwide protest. Sowore noted that the tariff increase was unjust. He mentioned that he recently met with the leadership of the NLC to speak on a nationwide protest in a bid to reverse the decision.

“I met with the NLC leadership yesterday to discuss possible nationwide action against this unjust and backbreaking tarring increase.

“Yes, I will support any form of credible protest," he said.