Abuja, Jan. 22, 2025 – The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the new 50 percent tariff increase in the telecom sector.
It described the tariff hike as an assault on Nigerian masses in view of the current economic challenges in the country.
Joe Ajaero, the NLC President, said this while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said the NLC was not against the tariff hike, but said the rate of the approved increase was too high.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expresses its unequivocal condemnation of the Federal Government’s recent approval, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), of a 50% increase in telecommunication tariffs.
“This decision, coming at a time when Nigerian workers and the masses are grappling with unprecedented economic hardship, is a clear assault on their welfare and an abandonment of the people to corporate fat cats.
“Telecommunication services are essential for daily communication, work, and access to information. Yet, an average Nigerian worker already spends approximately 10% of their wages on telecom charges.
“For a worker earning the current minimum wage of ₦70,000, this means an increase from ₦7,000 to a staggering ₦10,500 per month or 15% of his salary—a cost that is unsustainable.
“This hike exemplifies the government’s apparent ease in prioritizing corporate profits over citizens’ welfare.
“It is shocking that the government approved this 50% tariff increase for telecom companies within a month, yet took nearly a year to approve the recent minimum wage for workers, despite the rising cost of living and inflation eroding purchasing power.
“This glaring disparity underscores a troubling reality: the government appears more aligned with the interests of wealthy corporations than with the needs of the workers and citizens it is meant to serve.
“We must ask: When will the government stand for the people it swore to protect?
“When will the National Assembly rise to its responsibility and hold the executive accountable for policies that blatantly undermine the welfare of the majority? When will the common man heave a sigh of relief in Nigeria,” he asked.
