Telecom users in Nigeria are planning to take legal action against telecom companies over a planned 100% rise in service prices, which they say is too much and unfair.
While the telecom companies claim the price increase is needed to cover growing costs, the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) has opposed the plan and promised to go to court if it is approved.
NATCOMS President Adeolu Ogunbanjo said the group would start a group lawsuit if the telecom companies go ahead with the price hike without looking for other ways to make money first. He called the increase unreasonable and asked the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to stop the request.
At first, we thought there would be a small increase of 5% to 10%. Later, the NCC thought about a 40% increase. Now, telecom companies are asking for a 100% increase, but we are saying no,” Ogunbanjo told Saturday PUNCH.
If this increase happens, the cost of a phone call would go up from N11.00 to N22.00 per minute, a text message would go from N4.00 to N8.00, and 1GB of data would go from N1,000 to N2,000.
The NCC is still looking at the proposal and hasn’t made a final decision yet.
Ogunbanjo warned that NATCOMS would take legal action if the increase is approved. He said, “This is an important sector for the country, and we will not hesitate to go to court to protect the rights of customers.”
He also suggested that telecom companies could raise money by selling shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, saying that Nigerians would be willing to buy their shares.
