The Nigeria Citizen Watch for Good Governance (NCWGG) has kicked against the February 4 mass protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress on ac ount of the 50 percent hike in telecoms tarrif in the country.
President of the group,Collins Eshiofeh Idowu,said in a signed statement that the protest was uncalled for.
According to him, Labour’s interest was not in the interest of the Nigerian worker, the telecommunications industry and the country at large.
He stated that Labour did not take into consideration the measures that were weighed before the NCC came to the decision to approve only 50%.
He said: “The NLC took a leap before thinking when it decided to call for protests over the recent approval for telecommunication operators to adjust their tariffs by 50%.
“Did they consider the costs and losses that these telecommunications companies have suffered in the past few years to keep their services running? Did the NLC consider what would have been the case if the NCC rejected the request, and the consequent doom that would have befallen the telecommunications sector due to operators’ inability to continue operating?
“Did Labour consider the millions of direct and indirect jobs that would be affected if the telecommunications industry were to collapse due to their inability to continue funding operations?
“Did Labour consider what it would mean if Nigerians could no longer make calls or use the internet because telecommunications services had collapsed because they could no longer operate their sites?
“Labour took an unreasonable approach to the issue of the telecom tariff adjustment. What reasonable Nigerians would have expected from them would be to demand that the NCC hold to account the telecommunications companies to deliver quality telecom services to Nigerians.”
He accused the NLC of playing politics with the telecom tariff hike,stating that “if the Nigerian Labour Congress truly had the best interest of the Nigerian people they would have taken to the streets when costs of electricity went up by over 300% or when there was an unprecedented spike in the cost of basic food in the markets.
“They do not care for the average Nigerian worker, that is why they have not thought deeply about their actions.”
Describing the NLC protest as “an act of economic sabotage against the Nigerian people, and President Bola Tinubu administration” the group stated that it would mobilize its members across the 36 States and the FCT to counter any protests against the telecom tariff hike, stating that the increase was a balanced measure to preserve the telecommunications industry.
The NCWGG noted that it stood in full support of the telecom tariff hike, given the millions of jobs it was sustaining and potentially could create.
Citing a GSMA report, it stated that the tariff increase will unlock over $150 million investments for 4G expansion that could benefit over 9 million Nigerians.
It also added that with a more resilient and growing telecommunications industry, the tariff increase will increase digital access, especially in rural areas while boosting Nigeria’s GDP by 2%.
“In addition, this increase will strengthen the telecommunications sector, keep it afloat, and ensure the purchase of advanced telecommunications infrastructure to meet the demands of data and other telecom services, while guaranteeing the provision of quality and uninterrupted services.“