The Nigeria Citizen Watch for Good Governance (NCWGG) has announced plans to mobilize against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in response to the upcoming nationwide protest scheduled for 4th February.
The NCWGG asserts that the NLC’s actions regarding the telecommunications tariff hike are detrimental to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Collins Eshiofeh Idowu, President of the NCWGG, emphasized the group’s concerns.
The group supported the approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for telecommunications operators to increase their tariffs by up to 50%, arguing that this decision is a necessary measure to ensure the sustainability of the telecommunications sector, which plays a critical role in job creation and economic stability.
The NCWGG criticized the NLC for failing to consider the challenges faced by telecom operators in recent years, including the potential consequences of rejecting the tariff increase.
The group stated, “The decision by the NLC to call for a protest was unwarranted, as it did not take into account the considerations that were weighed before the NCC approved the 50% increase.
“Did the Labour consider the millions of direct and indirect jobs that would be affected if the telecommunications industry were to collapse due to its inability to continue funding operations?
“Did Labour contemplate what it would mean if Nigerians could no longer make calls or use the internet because telecommunications services had failed due to financial unsustainability?
“This is an act of economic sabotage against the Nigerian people and the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“We will mobilize our members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to counter any protests against the telecom tariff hike.
“We believe this increase will strengthen the telecommunications sector, keep it afloat, and ensure the procurement of advanced telecommunications infrastructure to meet the growing demands for data and other telecom services, while guaranteeing the provision of quality and uninterrupted services.”
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