ABUJA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's main labor union has called for a boycott of telecom operators starting Thursday in protest against a recent 50-percent hike in airtime and data tariffs, warning that the increase would worsen economic hardship for citizens.
The Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) said in a statement Wednesday that it also plans a nationwide protest beginning March, accusing telecom companies of implementing the government-backed tariff hike before the conclusion of a review process agreed upon by stakeholders.
A protest initially scheduled for Feb. 4 was postponed after local stakeholders met with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the country's telecom regulator. Following the meeting, a 10-member panel was set up to assess the tariff increase and submit recommendations by Feb. 17.
As an initial response, the NLC urged workers and citizens to boycott telecom services for at least three hours daily, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time, starting Thursday.
"All workers and citizens are urged to suspend the purchase of data from these (telecom) companies, which have become among the most significant tools for exploiting Nigerian citizens. We also demand the repatriation of all funds unlawfully siphoned out of the country by these firms," said the statement by the NLC.
Local stakeholders have accused telecom companies of bypassing the review panel's process and implementing the tariff hike unilaterally. Many Nigerians reported a 50-percent increase in the cost of calls, data, and text messages on Monday.
Amid mounting public outcry, Nigeria's parliament directed the NCC and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy to suspend the hike, arguing that citizens could not afford higher telecom costs while grappling with soaring inflation and the removal of fuel subsidies.
The NCC had announced last month that telephone subscribers would pay more for data and airtime after it approved the tariff adjustment, stating that the tariff adjustment, "though lower than the over 100 percent requested by some network operators," was arrived at while considering ongoing industry reforms "that will positively influence sustainability."
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, had more than 224 million telecom subscribers as of December 2023, according to official data. ■
