Nigerian Minister Meets Telecoms Over Renewed Call for Data and Call Tariff Increase

 Nigerian Minister Meets Telecoms Over Renewed Call for Data and Call Tariff Increase

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy, is holding discussions with telecommunications representatives amidst growing pressure for an increase in call and data tariffs.

The meeting includes major telecoms such as MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom, and 9Mobile, with stakeholders from the press, government regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) also expected to attend.

However, Andrew Agyo, a senior media team member at the Ministry of Innovations and Digital Economy, could not confirm the meeting at the time of reporting, stating, "I am not aware of the meeting."

Recently, MTN and Airtel requested approval from the NCC for a new tariff hike, after previously threatening to shut down operations if their requests were not approved. Despite this, the NCC has yet to approve any increase beyond the 2013 tariff price template. Telecom subscribers have also urged providers to explore alternatives to further price hikes.