The Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria have kicked against the proposed telecom tariff hike proposed by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.

The hike will see tariffs increase from 30 to 60 percent.

The advocacy group, which represents over 220 million subscribers nationwide, argued that the minister’s statement contradicted an agreement reached with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other key stakeholders during a meeting held on January 9, 2025.

In a press release issued on Sunday, ATCIS-Nigeria’s National President, ‘Sina Bilesanmi, expressed concerns that the minister’s proposal went against the consensus reached in Abuja.

According to him, it was agreed that no telecom tariff hike would occur until all stakeholders, particularly subscribers, were adequately consulted and sensitised.

He explained, “Telecom operators need to respect the telecom subscriber advocacy body and the NCC Act.

“The NCC should direct telecom operators to engage with ATCIS first for consultation, involvement, enlightenment, and engagement.

“Once we reach an agreement, we can call for public input on the percentage rate and communicate this to the NCC for approval. “Any deviation from this process is unacceptable, as subscribers are the ones paying for the services.”

Bilesanmi noted that at the January meeting, stakeholders resolved that there would be no tariff hike until further deliberations were concluded with mobile network operators and subscriber representatives.

He added, “The MNOs, through their representatives at ATCON and ALTON, were tasked with organizing enlightenment programs to address these issues. They were also expected to discuss potential percentage increases with subscriber representatives before taking it to the NCC for final approval.”

During an interview with Arise TV, Tijani revealed that MNOs were pushing for a 100% tariff increase to stabilize the telecom sector.