FG won’t approve 100% tariff hike for telcos – Minister
FG won’t approve 100% tariff hike for telcos – Minister
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said telecom tariffs would soon increase.
He, however, assured Nigerians that what would be approved would not be the 100 per cent telecom operators were pushing for at the moment.
The minister, who disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with mobile network operators, MNOs, in Abuja yesterday, said consultations and engagements were ongoing to arrive at an acceptable rate.
He assured that the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, would soon approve the new tariffs and make it public to Nigerians.
The minister said: “You have seen over the past weeks that there has been agitation from some of these companies to increase tariff. They are requesting for 100 per cent tariff increase.
“But it will not be by 100 per cent. We are still looking at that study and NCC will come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it.
“We want to strike the balance as a government to protect our people, but also protect and ensure that these companies can continue to invest significantly.
“We need to ensure that as a sector, we get our acts together, ensure that from the regulation side, we put the right regulations in place that can ensure the growth of this sector.”
He also noted that the federal government would no longer leave investments on infrastructure in the sector to private companies alone, saying “ as a country, over time, we have left this investments in the hands of the private sector. They typically invest where they can see returns in the short to medium term.
“We will not want this conversation to just be about tariff increase. I think what the world is talking about today is meaningful connectivity. You want to have access to very good quality service.
“A part of it that the consumers may not be aware of is the investment that needs to go into the infrastructure that is used to deliver these services.”
In his remarks, the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC Dr Aminu Maida, said the meeting with stakeholders was about the sustainability of the industry.
“We have looked at all of these factors, and that is why, like the Minister said, it is not likely that we are going to approve 100 per cent tariff increase.
“I know that Nigerians are agitated to hear the exact percentage approved. There is still some stakeholder engagements that we are going through, but you will hear from us within a week or two,” he said.
On his part, the CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, who was represented by Femi Adeniran, Airtel’s spokesperson, noted that for the telecoms to deliver superior connectivity and foster digital inclusion, there was need for tariff increments.
“The economic realities of rising operational and capital costs necessitated the proposed tariff adjustments.
‘’This is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector, while unlocking significant benefits for Nigerian consumers,” he said.
Credit: Vanguard
