The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the Federal Government’s recent approval, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), of a 50% increase in telecommunication tariffs.
The decision, coming at a time when Nigerian workers and the masses are grappling with unprecedented economic hardship, is a clear assault on their welfare and an abandonment of the people to corporate fat cats.
According to the President of the Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, “Telecommunication services are essential for daily communication, work, and access to information”.
“Yet, an average Nigerian worker already spends approximately 10% of their wages on telecom charges”.
“For a worker earning the current minimum wage of ₦70,000, this means an increase from ₦7,000 to a staggering ₦10,500 per month or 15% of his salary—a cost that is unsustainable”.
This hike exemplifies the government’s apparent ease in prioritising corporate profits over citizens’ welfare.
He desctribed as shocking that the government approved this 50% tariff increase for telecom companies within a month, yet took nearly a year to approve the recent minimum wage for workers, despite the rising cost of living and inflation eroding purchasing power.
He said the glaring disparity underscores a troubling reality: the government appears more aligned with the interests of wealthy corporations than with the needs of the workers and citizens it is meant to serve.
He said Nigerians must ask: When will the government stand for the people it swore to protect? When will the National Assembly rise to its responsibility and hold the executive accountable for policies that blatantly undermine the welfare of the majority? When will the common man heave a sigh of relief in Nigeria?
He said the NLC is not opposed to a tariff review but disagrees with the approved rate of increase.
He called on the government, the NCC and the National Assembly to stop the implementation of this ill-advised hike to allow a reasonable conversation around it.
He added that if the dialogue agrees on the need for the hike, then, we can all seek a more humane increase and definitely not the 50% hike.
He called on all Nigerian workers and masses to reject this unjustifiable tariff hike.
He also urged citizens to prepare for collective action, including the possibility of a nationwide boycott of telecommunication services, to compel the reversal of the increase.
He said the move is for ‘our dignity, our rights, and our survival as a people’.
He said the Nigeria Labour Congress remains resolute in defending the interests of Nigerian workers and the masses.
According to him NLC will not allow the people to bear the brunt of policies that further entrench poverty and inequality.
Joe Ajaero said that “Together, we will do our best to resist this injustice and demand that government prioritizes the interests of its citizens over corporate interests”.
