The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has referred to as off its deliberate nationwide rally in response to the proposed 50% telecommunications tariff hike.
The choice follows profitable discussions with the federal authorities geared toward addressing key issues raised by the NLC concerning the tariff improve.
Mr. Emmanuel Ugboaja, the Common Secretary of the NLC, introduced the suspension of the rally directed to all state councils and associates of the union.
“Following our decision, the Federal Authorities invited us to a gathering, the place an settlement was reached to ascertain a 10-member committee to deal with key issues raised by Congress,” Ugboaja stated within the assertion.
This intervention led the NLC to cancel the protest, with Ugboaja highlighting that the federal government had already conceded to a number of the union’s calls for, successfully addressing the problem with out the necessity for the deliberate demonstration.
“Because of this, our protest has already achieved success, as the federal government has conceded to a few of our calls for with out the necessity for an precise demonstration,” he added.
The discussions between the federal authorities and the NLC culminated within the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU, reached throughout a gathering convened by the federal authorities, addresses the contentious difficulty of the proposed telecom tariff hike.
The NLC and the federal authorities have urged Nigerians to stay calm whereas the committee works on discovering a long-lasting answer to the dispute.
The Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC) in January 2025, permitted a 50% improve in telecommunications tariffs, marking the primary such hike in over a decade. This resolution was made in response to rising operational prices confronted by telecom operators, together with excessive inflation and forex devaluation.
The permitted changes are:
Telecom operators have cited surging operational prices linked to inflation nearing 35% and a weakening naira forex as causes for the tariff rise.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strongly opposed the tariff hike, labeling it “insensitive” and “unjustifiable,” notably throughout a extreme cost-of-living disaster intensified by President Bola Tinubu’s financial reforms.
