By Martin Ekpeke
The Nigerian government has signaled an impending increase in telecommunications service costs, acknowledging the need to ensure the sector’s sustainability. However, the government has firmly rejected a 100% tariff hike demanded by some telecom companies.
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, revealed this during a recent engagement with telecom stakeholders in Abuja as reported by Channels TV and posted on its official X handle.
He emphasized that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is currently finalizing consultations and will soon announce the new rates.
“Telecommunication tariffs will go up, that is the verdict, but it won’t be by 100%. We are still looking at that study we conducted, and the NCC will come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it,” Minister Tijani stated.
The Minister explained that the government is striving to balance the sector’s sustainability with the affordability of services for Nigerian citizens. A study commissioned by the government aims to determine a tariff increase that minimizes the impact on consumers while ensuring the continued investment and growth of the telecom sector.
“We’ve seen over the past weeks that there’s been agitation from some of these companies to increase tariffs, requesting 100% tariff increases. This is not something that the government will be able to subscribe to at the minute,” Minister Tijani emphasized.
The government is also exploring measures to mitigate the impact of any tariff increase on consumers, such as implementing the executive order on protecting telecommunications infrastructure and driving local content within the sector.
This news comes as the government seeks to bridge the digital divide and ensure internet access for all Nigerians