Business
Hardship: Nationwide protest looms as Nigerians reject telecom tariff increase
A nationwide protest is currently brewing in Nigeria following the recent approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, for telecommunication operators to increase tariff by 50%.
Following the mounting financial struggles birthed by the devaluation of the naira and increasing operational costs in Africa’s most populous nation, telecom operators like MTN and Airtel had demanded a 100% tariff increase.
However, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, on Monday, January 20 announced the approval of a 50% tariff increase.
By the time the Mobil Network Operators implement the approved tariff, Nigerians are expected to pay N16.5 per minute for calls from N11, the cost of SMS to N6 from N4, and the cost of 1 gigabit of data – N431.25.
There are, however, stiff oppositions from some stakeholders, who argued that the increment is coming at the wrong time, citing the economic hardship bedeviling the nation at the moment.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC had, while reacting to the proposed tariff increase, rallied Nigerians to reject “another harsh burden”, threatening to mobilize workers to boycott telecom services.
Similarly, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC described the tariff scheduled to begin in February as outrageous, lamenting that it will worsen the harsh living conditions of workers and Nigerians.
Halt the tariff hike now – Yunusa Tanko tells FG
In an exclusive interview on Saturday, the National Coordinator, OBIDIENT Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko urged the Federal Government to halt the tariff increase, saying it is a “wrong timing, wrong action and wrong choice”.
According to him, a “50% tariff increase by the NCC at this time is only a final burial to the already struggling economy.
“All sectors of the economy need adequate communication to keep up with their game; the outturn will be spontaneous”.
Yunusa lamented that there “was an influx of 14 million Nigerians into poverty in one year, caused by uninformed government policies and poor economic decisions”, stressing that the country has “never experienced this height of surge since her independence”.
OFFICIAL CBN EXCHANGE RATES
US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,380. 93
GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,824.90
EURO (EUR) ₦1,577. 58
SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,710.13
JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.54
CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦203. 13
WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2.39
WEST AFRICAN UNIT ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1,867. 05
SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦367.72
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦83. 89
BLACK MARKET RATES
US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1, 393 Sell ₦1, 400
GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,850 Sell: ₦1,870
EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1, 580 Sell ₦1,600
CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD) Buy ₦1,030 Sell ₦1,100
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90
UAE DIRHAM Buy ₦350 Sell ₦370
CHINESE YUAN Buy ₦180 Sell ₦200
GHANA CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110
WEST AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 380 Sell ₦2, 460
CENTRAL AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 220 Sell 2,300
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Buy ₦800 Sell ₦900
Official CBN Exchange Rates
US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,380. 11
GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,818.34
EURO (EUR) ₦1,566.84
SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,698.80
JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.53
CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦202. 99
WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2.39
WEST AFRICAN UNIT ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1,866. 38
SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦367.54
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦83.65
BLACK MARKET RATES
US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1, 392 Sell ₦1, 395
GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,850 Sell: ₦1,865
EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1, 580 Sell ₦1,600
CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD) Buy ₦1,030 Sell ₦1,100
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90
UAE DIRHAM Buy ₦350 Sell ₦370
CHINESE YUAN Buy ₦180 Sell ₦200
GHANA CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110
WEST AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 380 Sell ₦2, 460
CENTRAL AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 220 Sell 2,300
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Buy ₦800 Sell ₦900
Official CBN Exchange Rates
US DOLLAR (USD) ₦1,380.08
GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) ₦1,815. 63
EURO (EUR) ₦1,566.63
SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1,696.05
JAPANESE YEN (JPN) ₦8.53
CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦202.62
WEST AFRICAN CFA (XOF) ₦2.38
WEST AFRICAN UNIT ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1,858. 54
SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦367.58
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦82. 91
BLACK MARKET RATES
US DOLLAR (USD) Buy ₦1, 390 Sell ₦1, 395
GREAT BRITISH POUND (GBP) Buy ₦1,845 Sell: ₦1,865
EURO (EUR) Buy ₦1, 580 Sell ₦1,600
CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD) Buy ₦1,030 Sell ₦1,100
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) Buy ₦75 Sell ₦90
UAE DIRHAM Buy ₦350 Sell ₦370
CHINESE YUAN Buy ₦180 Sell ₦200
GHANA CEDI (GHS) Buy ₦95 Sell ₦110
WEST AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 380 Sell ₦2, 460
CENTRAL AFRICAN CFA Buy ₦2, 220 Sell 2,300
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Buy ₦800 Sell ₦900
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