The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has successfully convinced the Federal Government to reduce the recent increase in telecommunications tariffs from 50 percent to 35 percent.
This decision was made following a meeting between a 10-member committee representing the government and the NLC at the office of the National Security Adviser on Friday, February 21, 2025. According to sources, an official statement about the tariff reduction is expected to be released on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
How NLC Achieved the Reduction
During the meeting, which lasted from 4 PM to 7 PM, the NLC firmly demanded a complete reversal of the tariff hike. After extensive discussions, the Federal Government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) agreed to lower the increase from 50 percent to 35 percent, representing a 15 percent reduction.
NLC’s Initial Protest Against the Tariff Increase
Earlier, on February 12, 2025, the NLC had strongly opposed the tariff hike, arguing that it violated a previous agreement with the Federal Government and the NCC. They demanded an immediate reversal and warned that if this was not done by the end of February 2025, they would initiate a total shutdown of telecommunications services nationwide, starting March 1, 2025.
To emphasize their stance, the NLC called on Nigerian workers and citizens to boycott telecom services daily between 11 AM and 2 PM, beginning on Thursday, February 13, 2025. This protest was directed at major telecom companies, including MTN, AIRTEL, and GLO, and was planned to continue until the end of February 2025.
