The House of Representatives has called for an immediate suspension of the 50% increase in telecom tariffs, citing economic hardship and poor service delivery.
This resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance by Oboku Oforji during Tuesday’s plenary.
Lawmakers directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to halt the tariff hike, stressing that any increase should be tied to improved service quality.
This comes as telecom operators, under NCC approval, began implementing the new tariff structure, prompting backlash from subscribers who noticed significant increases in call, data, and SMS costs.
The tariff hike adds to Nigeria’s worsening cost-of-living crisis, triggered by fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
Amid these challenges, lawmakers insist that increasing telecom costs without addressing service deficiencies is unjustifiable.
