The House of Representatives has urged the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to halt the proposed increase in telecommunications tariffs until service quality improves.
The call followed a motion of urgent public importance raised by Rep. Obuku Offorji during Tuesday’s plenary session.
Rep. Offorji recalled that Minister Tijani had announced, following a stakeholders’ meeting on January 8, that telecom operators were considering raising tariffs, with some pushing for an increase of up to 100 percent. However, the minister clarified that while the hike would not reach that level, the NCC would approve and announce the new rates in due course.
The Lawmaker challenged the justification for the tariff increase, which telecom companies attribute to rising investment costs, growing demand for digital services, and economic challenges such as inflation and foreign exchange fluctuations.
“The financial impact of these price hikes will worsen economic struggles for Nigerians, threaten the country’s digital economy goals, and deepen inequality, especially for low-income families,” Offorji stated.
He emphasized that affordable internet access is critical for sectors like banking, education, healthcare, and e-governance, warning that informal workers who rely on mobile data for gig jobs may be severely affected.
The House of Representatives insisted that telecom providers must improve their services before any price increase can be considered.