Tinubu Approves Increase in Network Tariffs
A post on X claims that there has been an increase in tariff plans by network service providers in Nigeria.
This claim posted on January 18, 2025 by an X user, @omoluabi1sq had a picture of President TInubu with the caption, “BREAKING: Phone call will cost N18.33 per minute, SMS for N6.67, and a 1GB data bundle, N479.17 as Tinubu led government approves new tariffs for Telcos”
This post has attracted over 1.5 million views, over 11,000 likes and 1,100 bookmarks as of the time this report was published.
In the comment section, @Jazzlilpop wrote, “In the USA and Europe it is more costly than this.”, while True Conscience🇳🇬 commented, “It was ₦50/min under Obasanjo and if by mistake the network is bad and you have a drop call at 2secs, ₦50 don go be dat.I once bought ₦750 MTN card and didn’t make 1min call before it was deducted due to poor network”
The claim was also seen here, here, here and here.
VERIFICATION
The telecommunications industry in Nigeria is one of the most vibrant and rapidly growing sectors of the country’s economy. It has played a crucial role in driving economic growth, enhancing connectivity, and improving access to information and communication technologies.
To fact-check the tariff increase claim, NV-A used keyword search and the search result included a report from January 2025 stating that the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC approved a proposal for telecom tariff increases. This is the first adjustment in over a decade that allows major operators like MTN Nigeria, Airtel, and 9Mobile to raise prices for calls, SMS, and data services.
According to The Punch, “the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani revealed that while telecom operators were pushing for a 100 per cent hike in tariffs, the government was only considering an increment of between 30 and 60 per cent.”
Tijani who made the announcement during an interview on Politics Today with Channels Television on January 15, 2025 said the NCC would approve the new tariffs and announce them to the public in due course.
In a related development, Technext reported that “the Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) has rejected the proposed telecom tariff hike of not more than 60 per cent, which is being deliberated by the federal government.
CONCLUSION
The claim that there has been an increase in tariff plans by network service providers in Nigeria is MISLEADING. The NCC is still in deliberations over the percentage of increase as disclosed by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani.
