Students issue 72-hour ultimatum over telecom tariff hike

From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu

A pan-African students’ movement, Progressive Students Movement (PSM), has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and telecom companies to reverse the recent 50% hike in tariffs.

Delivering the ultimatum on Tuesday, PSM described the 50% tariff increment as “unjustifiable, untimely, and insensitive,” rejecting it outright and labelling it an “anti-masses increment.”

PSM President Bestman Okereafor, in a statement made available to newsmen in Enugu, called for an immediate review and reversal of the increment.

The statement reads in part: “The attention of PSM has been drawn to NCC’s approval of telecom operators’ 50% tariff increment.

“It will be recalled that telecom operators had previously demanded an adjustment to their tariff rates, a request which many Nigerians, especially Nigerian students, opposed.

“Information at our disposal shows that NCC approved the telecom companies’ request in response to rising operational costs, to the detriment of Nigerians and the harsh economic realities facing the country.

“However, this development, which allows for a maximum of a 50% adjustment to current tariffs, was announced in a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, on Monday, January 20.”

Okereafor warned that the entire student body would protest the “abnormal and inconsiderate 50% increment in tariffs if not reviewed within the next 72 hours.”