Following the recent approval of a tariff hike, some telecom subscribers have threatened to sue the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
TheNewsGuru reports that the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) decided to take the case to court, in a bid to stop NCC from implementing the hike.
Recall that, the NCC, on January 20, 2025, announced regulatory approval for telecom operators to raise tariffs by 50 per cent. The agency said the tariff hike will help the operators improve the country’s telecommunication infrastructure.
The tariff hike follows agitations from the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) to review call tariffs upwards.
In a fresh development, the President of NATCOMS, Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the NCC did not consult subscribers on the matter.
He kicked against the 50 per cent hike, adding that a five per cent to ten per cent marginal increase was a better option.
He said, “This will affect everyone from the biggest industry to the smallest company, such as the Point of Service (POS) operators.
“We now depend on telecoms for our meetings, for the banks, everybody depends on it, even the education sector. Yes, a lot of things depend on it.
“So, that is why we painfully agreed that look, a moderate or marginal five per cent to 10 per cent increase will be fine.
“You know, we do not mind an increase if it is to salvage the industry that is helping us, which means so much to us. This is also contributing double-digits to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“So, we appreciate that. It’s painful, but we agreed. We said, Okay, we will not mind if it is just a five per cent to 10 per cent increase.”
He said telecom operators could raise funds through the Nigerian capital market by selling shares or other instruments.
He said, “The industry operators can opt for an Initial Public Offer (IPO) for Nigerians to buy shares in their companies as a way of raising funds.
“However, a situation where a whole 50 per cent is granted for a tariff hike is not cheap and it is a no from us subscribers.
“I mean, for what we are already going through, no for us, we will challenge this in court.”