Telecom Tariff: Strike Inevitable If FG Insists On 50% Hike – Osifo

• Congress also rejects planned tolls on selected federal roads

BY EDMOND ODOK – If the federal government insists on the current 50 percent telecom tariff hike, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) will have no option but to go on strike.

Similarly, Congress strongly opposes the government’s plan to toll selected federal roads to generate revenue, describing the moves as insensitive to the plights of Nigerians.

President of the Congress, Comrade Festus Osifo, made these submissions at the first Quarter 2025 National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting in Abuja, warning that the government cannot continue to embark on measures aimed at further compounding the economic hardship and woes Nigerians are currently facing.

On the 50 percent telecom tariff hike, Osifo said the rising costs incurred by telecom companies notwithstanding, Nigerians must not be made to bear the brunt of every bad policy of government and its failure to do things right.

He blamed the “slicing of foreign exchange” as the root cause of the problem, adding that the weakening of the Naira has unfortunately affected every sector of the economy.

“If you know what the root cause of the problem is, why would you start looking at the symptoms? So, all the increments that we are seeing today are symptoms of the FX mismanagement. So, all we are asking is that let us sit down, let us look at how we can go back to that root cause because we strongly believe that if that root cause is addressed, there is no need for these symptoms to prop up”, the Congress President averred

When asked if the union would go on strike if the government refuses to listen to the Union, Osifo said, “Yes. Correct”, stressing that having met with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to deliberate on the issue, it is the responsibility of the NEC of the TUC to decide on the next line of action.

Also, condemning the planned reintroduction of toll gates on some federal highways, Osifo argued that the government must first ensure that the roads are in good condition, even as he expressed concern that the government has become adept at introducing policies that affect citizens without proper consultation with relevant stakeholders.

He warned that if the policies are not reviewed to favor the citizens, the TUC may be forced to mobilize for a countrywide mass protest against the government.

According to him; “The NAC, on behalf of the Congress, strongly advises the government to refrain from introducing policies that would further exacerbate the current economic hardship faced by hardworking Nigerians.

“If the administration insists on implementing these policies, the TUC will have no choice but to mobilize the working class, civil society, and the oppressed masses for a nationwide action. This level of exploitation is unacceptable. A stitch in time saves nine”.

He said it was frustrating and unjust to impose tolls on roads that are unpaved, dilapidated, and riddled with potholes and referenced the meeting’s communiqué as saying; “NAC deliberated on the proposed introduction of toll gates on selected federal roads and strongly condemned it in its entirety.

“While we acknowledge that tolling is a globally recognized method of generating revenue for road maintenance, it is unacceptable to impose tolls on roads that are unpaved, dilapidated, and riddled with potholes.

“The NAC views this as an insult to Nigerians, who are being asked to pay tolls on roads that are in total disrepair. Our highways are death traps, unsafe, abandoned, and filled with potholes. Rather than fulfilling its responsibility to fix and maintain these roads, the government is resorting to shameless extortion.

“The Congress, therefore, demands that all roads earmarked for tolling must first be fixed, properly tarred, and repaired to international standards before any discussion on tolling can be entertained.”

Taking a swipe at the Government’s plans to hike energy tariffs by 65 percent in Nigeria, the TUC said though there is denial in official quarters, such an increase should never have been contemplated.

Osifo, who lamented that past tariff increments had already inflicted severe hardship on Nigerians, said; “This proposed increase is not only ill-timed but also a deliberate act of economic oppression against Nigerians, who are already struggling under unbearable economic conditions.

“The improved service quality promised during the last tariff hike, particularly for consumers under the so-called ‘Band A’ category, has not been realized. Most consumers, regardless of their tariff band, continue to live in perpetual darkness.”

While attributing the root cause of skyrocketing prices and inflation to the devaluation of the Naira, the TUC President recalled that in February 2024, the Congress had warned in a world press conference that excessive devaluation of the naira would lead to inflation, driving up the cost of goods and services.

He noted that 12 months later, those predictions had come true and according to him; “These include the skyrocketing prices of essential goods, the escalating costs of social services, the proposed hike in telecom tariffs, the increase in electricity tariffs (with plans for further increments), the rising prices of petroleum products, among others.

“The TUC remains focused on addressing the root cause of these economic challenges rather than merely reacting to the manifested symptoms.

“To this end, the TUC demands a better foreign exchange (FX) management regime from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the naira is currently undervalued, as confirmed by both local and international experts.”