The Nigeria Labour Congress has shelved its planned protest scheduled for March 1, 2025, after reaching an agreement with the Federal Government on a 35 per cent increase in telecom tariffs.

NLC?s decision was welcomed by the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, NATCOMS, on Thursday, as the group called for better relief measures for telcos.

On January 20, 2025, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, announced a 50 per cent hike in telecommunications tariffs ? the first major adjustment in over a decade. Telecom operators, grappling with rising operational costs due to inflation and currency depreciation, had initially proposed a 100 per cent increase before the government intervened.

Multiple insider sources at the NLC informed on Thursday that negotiations between the union and the Federal Government resulted in a compromise, lowering the initially proposed 50 per cent increase to 35 per cent. A 10-member committee was formed to deliberate and finalise the agreement.

An impeccable source with the labour union said, ?Have you not heard that an agreement has been reached between the NLC and the FG? The 50 per cent hike in telecom tariff has been reduced to 35 per cent as agreed by the 10-man committee.?

When asked if this means the protest scheduled for March 1 would be shelved, the source replied, ?That should be obvious.?

In a previous interview with The PUNCH, the Chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of the NLC, Funmi Sessi, condemned the Federal Government?s decision to approve a 35 per cent increase, calling it an unfair burden on already struggling Nigerians.

?How can the Federal Government be the one determining prices? This is an anomaly,? she argued.

Sessi said any tariff adjustment should be gradual and not exceed 15 per cent, given the current economic hardship.

Meanwhile, the NLC Public Relations Officer, Upah Benson, told The PUNCH that there would be a National Executive Council meeting of the union today (Friday) to deliberate further on the matter.

NATCOMS welcomes reduction

The President of NATCOMS, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, has welcomed the reported reduction of the proposed 50 per cent telecom tariff hike to 35 per cent but called for more relief measures to ease the burden on consumers.

Speaking in response to reports of the tariff adjustment, Ogunbanjo said NATCOMS was not invited to be part of the committee that reviewed the rates.

?I believe it is 35 per cent, but this is based on what I heard from sources,? Ogunbanjo told The PUNCH. ?That information has been out there since Monday.?

He described the 15 per cent reduction as a result of consumer advocacy but urged telecom operators to consider further reductions to cushion the impact on subscribers.

?We fought, and at least a 15 per cent reduction is something,? he said.

The Nigerian Communications Commission, which regulates the telecom sector, and industry groups, including the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, did not respond to requests for comment. (The PUNCH)

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