NLC Suspends Protest as NCC Promises Transparency, Analyst Seeks Better Service

• The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has made a fresh announcement concerning its planned nationwide protest
• Reuben Mouka, NCC's director, public affairs, says measures are in place to promote transparency that will benefit telecom consumers
• Public affairs analyst, Chidi Chinedu, has advised the operators to empathise with Nigerians as the tariff hike continues to generate controversy

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events

FCT, Abuja - The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has announced the suspension of its planned nationwide protest against the recent 50% hike in telecom tariffs.

Legit.ng recalls that the NLC announced its plan to mobilise and protest against the approved 50% tariff hike in the telecommunication sector.

The union said the protest, billed for Tuesday, February 4, 2025, was to register its rejection of the high rates.

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The NLC described the approval of the increase as "a clear assault on Nigerians" amid the hardship facing the citizens.

The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government had agreed to set up a larger committee to review the entire tariff structure.

Ajaero stated this after a meeting with government representatives at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Monday night, February 3, 2025, The Punch reports.

“We emphasized that the NLC is the largest organisation in Africa, and no stakeholder consultation can exclude us and still stand.

“On that basis, they agreed to form a broader committee to ensure a fair and inclusive agreement to look at the entire tariff structure as a model to come out with a realistic and all-inclusive agreement."

He disclosed that the committee will be composed of five representatives from both NLC and the federal government.

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The NLC leader added that the committee is expected to submit its findings within two weeks.

Ajaero further stated that the findings of the committee will determine the next line of action and the process of engagement

“The outcome of such a committee is what will determine our next line of action in terms of protest, in terms of boycott, and in terms of even withdrawal of services, which are the three issues we put online."

NCC unveils plan to ensure transparency in new telecom tariffs

Speaking with Legit.ng on Wednesday, February 5, Reuben Mouka, Head of Media Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) disclosed there are strategies to ensure that telecom operators implement the new tariffs in a fair and transparent manner.

According to him, tariff guidelines are issued to operators to address the issue of unclear charges.

He said:

“There is the simplification of tariff guidelines which we issue to operators. There's a lot of issue with transparent tariffs in Nigeria. People don't know exactly how they are charged. They don't know what it's worth. There's bonanza and a whole lot of them.”

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To address this, the NCC, he noted, has implemented a quality of service guideline to monitor operators' performance. If operators fail to meet the new guidelines, they will face sanctions.

As he put it:

“There's a quality of service guideline also so that once they start we will be monitoring their quality of service. If they do not get it right according to the new guideline they will be sanctioned.”

Analyst says operators must justify tariff hike to customers

In an exclusive chat with Legit.ng, public affairs analyst, Chidi Chinedu, advised the operators to communicate clearly the reasons behind the increase.

According to Chinedu, the tariff hike is coming at a bad time, considering the current cost of living crisis in the country.

His words:

“The tariff hike is coming at a very bad time even though a strong argument has being made that the hike is needed because we haven't had an increase in over a decade. What they have to do is to empathise and be sensitive to challenges citizens are experiencing at the moment. They should be able to convince the Nigerian people that they need the increment, that they need more capital to be able to provide better service."

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The analyst also pointed out that many Nigerians are already complaining about poor service delivery by the telecom operators.

To mitigate potential backlash and maintain customer trust, Chinedu advised the operators to establish a clear connection between the tariff hike and improved service delivery.

Chinedu explained:

“People are complaining about their poor delivery and they're saying that they've not had enough money to invest, to expand their capacity, to be able to increase the quality of their service. It's an argument they can make to the Nigerian people that they need the money to be able to serve them better. They should be to establish a connection between the increment and improved service delivery. People may not understand but if they continue to experience better service short to midterm then people will realize that perhaps it was a good decision.”

Telecom tariff hike: NLC criticised over planned protest

Legit.ng earlier reported that the NLC was criticized over its planned nationwide protest against the 50% telecom tariff increase.

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“Nigeria's telecom tariffs are relatively Low”: NLC criticised over planned protest

The Coalition of Human Rights Monitoring Groups (CHRMG) said the NLC's planned protest is misguided and not in the public interest.

The CSOs said the tariff hike, approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is a necessary measure to prevent the telecom sector from collapsing.

Source: Legit.ng