The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has successfully compelled the Federal Government to lower the recent telecommunications tariff hike from 50% to 35%.
According to reports, this decision followed a meeting between a 10-member committee comprising government officials and NLC representatives at the National Security Adviser’s (NSA) office on Friday, February 21, 2025.
Sources within the government confirmed to Vanguard that an official statement announcing the tariff reduction will be released on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
Insider sources revealed that the meeting, which commenced at 4 PM and lasted until 7 PM, featured intense negotiations, with the NLC firmly demanding a complete reversal of the tariff hike. After extensive discussions, the Federal Government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) agreed to a 15% reduction, scaling back the increase from 50% to 35%.
On February 12, 2025, the NLC condemned the tariff hike imposed by telecommunications companies, asserting that it breached a prior agreement with the Federal Government and the NCC.
The labour union demanded an immediate reversal and warned of serious repercussions if their demand was not met.
“If telecom companies do not revert to the old tariff by the end of February 2025, a nationwide shutdown of their operations will begin on March 1, 2025,” the NLC warned.
To reinforce their stance, the NLC had earlier instructed Nigerian workers and citizens to boycott telecom services daily between 11 AM and 2 PM, starting Thursday, February 13, 2025.
The boycott specifically targeted major network providers such as MTN, AIRTEL, and GLO and was set to continue until the end of February 2025.
