- Blames Hike On Mismanagement Of FX, Says Citizens Feeding From Hand To Mouth
The last has not been heard about the opposition that has greeted the decision of the Federal Government to approve a 50% hike for telecommunications companies in the country as the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has vowed to “down tools,” arguing that citizens are “feeding from hand to mouth” following the recent hike in telecom tariff.
On January 20, 2025, the FG through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had approved the tariff hike, a development that raised dust among labour unions and civil society organisations.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had fixed a protest on Tuesday but shelved it folowing a dialogue with the representatives of the Federal Government.
READ ALSO: Telecom Tariff Hike: NLC Backtracks On Planned Protest
After extensive deliberation, both the NLC and the FG agreed to set up a 10-man committee comprising five members from both parties to review and submit its report within two weeks.
However, in a fresh development, Festus Osifo, the President of TUC, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday took a different stand, blaming the hike on mismanagement of foreign exchange, which he believes the government can handle easily.
He said the TUC is not begrudging the telcos, knowing very well that the socio-economic landscape they operate in has changed dramatically, but insisted that the government has the responsibility to ensure that the economic outlook of the country is stable for businesses to thrive.
According to him, “Government has the tools and wherewithal to be able to manage the landscape to ensure that the cost of doing business goes down. And one of the ways is that exchange rate because that is the root cause of the problem.”
Asked what ultimatum they are giving to the Nigerian government, he added, “The NAC [TUC, which is like the National Working Committee] has met today. After that, we’ll have the Central Working Committee meeting, and we also have the NEC.
“So, at the NEC, we’ll take the final decision. So, the NAC was the one that met today.
“All we are saying is that if you allow your currency to slide, it will affect all of us.”
READ ALSO: Telecom Tariff Hike: Showdown Looms As NLC Plans Nationwide Rally Next Week
He added, “We are completely apolitical. For one, I don’t belong to any political party; I’ve said that severally, so we look for what is in the best interest of the Nigerian workers and Nigerians in general.
“We started shouting about this early last year; if our exchange rate is better managed, at the end you are going to see that there is no need for that increment.”
Asked if the TUC is proceeding with an industrial action, he said, “Absolutely,” adding that they will “down tools and go to the streets.”
He said the NEC of TUC has the responsibility to give a date for the strike.
