The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the 50% telecom tariff increase approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Instead, the union is proposing 5% increase, saying the current economic hardship makes the higher rate impossible for ordinary Nigerians.
On Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, NLC spokesperson Benson Upah described the tariff adjustment as excessive and insensitive.
He berated the continuous imposition of heavy taxes and levies on Nigerians, saying the situation will get to a point where people will just refuse to pay.
“That’s an attempt to strangulate Nigerians with unfair taxes,” Upah said.
“If there must be an increase at all, 5% is more reasonable, considering the economic hardship and the multiple price increase in other sectors. But 50%? That’s not acceptable. How will ordinary Nigerians survive, especially with the rising cost of energy?”
The union is not backing down and has scheduled a nationwide protest for Tuesday, February 4, 2025 to express its anger with the new tariff.
Upah said businesses and individuals are already struggling with inflation and rising costs.
“Manufacturers are barely surviving, middle-class families can’t sustain their lifestyle and many Nigerians can’t even turn on their lights. When taxes are too high, fewer people can pay and that defeats the purpose of revenue generation,” he said.
Meanwhile, global financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are still pushing for economic reforms including the removal of energy subsidies and floating the naira.
According to them, the Nigerian economy is under severe inflationary pressure because the government is not implementing these policies.
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