The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has successfully pressured the Federal Government to reduce the recent telecommunications tariff hike from 50 percent to 35 percent.
StartSmart Nigerian gathered that the decision came after a 10-man committee meeting between government representatives and the NLC at the National Security Adviser (NSA) office on Friday, February 21, 2025.
Government sources who spoke with Vanguard confirmed that an official communique announcing the tariff reduction is expected to be released on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
How NLC Secured The Reduction
According to insider reports, the meeting, which started at 4 PM and lasted till 7 PM, saw the NLC insisting that the tariff hike must be completely withdrawn.
After intense deliberations, the Federal Government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) agreed to a 15 percent reduction, bringing the tariff increase down from 50 percent to 35 percent.
NLCS’s Earlier Protest Against Tariff Hike
On February 12, 2025, the NLC expressed outrage over the tariff hike by telecommunications companies, arguing that it violated an earlier agreement with the Federal Government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The labor body required an immediate backtracking, warning that failure to do so would lead to serious consequences.
“If the telecommunications companies fail to revert to the old tariff by the end of February 2025, a total shutdown of their operations nationwide will commence from March 1, 2025,” the NLC declared.
To demonstrate its seriousness, the NLC had earlier directed Nigerian workers and citizens to boycott telecom services daily between 11 AM and 2 PM, beginning on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
The boycott targeted major network providers, including MTN, AIRTEL, and GLO, and was set to continue until the end of February 2025.
