January 21, (THEWILL) – The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened court action against the Federal Government if the recent 50% telcos tariff hike is not reversed within 48 hours.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) earlier announced a 50 percent tariff hike for telecommunication companies in the country.
NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, who announced the approval on Monday, noted that tariff rates have remained static since 2013, despite the increase in costs of operation faced by telecom operators. He added that the approved adjustment is to address the significant gap between operational costs and current tariffs while ensuring that the delivery of services to consumers is not compromised.
“The adjustment, capped at a maximum of 50 percent of current tariffs, though lower than the over 100 percent requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability.
“These adjustments will remain within the tariff bands stipulated in the 2013 NCC Cost Study, and requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis as is the commission’s standard practice for tariff reviews. It will be implemented in strict adherence to the recently issued NCC Guidance on Tariff Simplification, 2024”, said Mouka.
However, SERAP posted on its X handle on Tuesday and threatened to take legal action if the hike is not reversed within 48 hours.
“The Tinubu administration and telcos must immediately reverse the unlawful increase in calls and data costs. We’ll see in court if the 50% tariff hike is not reversed within 48 hours”, it said.
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