The Nigerian government has scaled down its proposed increase in telecommunications tariffs from 50% to 35% following strong opposition from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The decision was reached after a high-level meeting between government officials and labour leaders at the National Security Adviser’s office on February 21, 2025.

The meeting, which lasted about three hours, saw NLC officials vehemently rejecting the planned tariff hike. Their persistent pushback led the government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to lower the proposed increase by 15%. An official announcement confirming the new tariff structure is expected soon.

The NLC had earlier slammed the tariff hike, arguing that it violated an agreement previously reached with the government and telecom regulators. The union warned that if the rates were not reversed by the end of February, a nationwide shutdown of telecom services would commence on March 1, 2025.

To protest the increase, the NLC directed workers and the general public to boycott MTN, Airtel, and Glo services daily from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The union also urged Nigerians to stop purchasing data from these companies, accusing them of exploiting consumers.

Labour leaders condemned telecom providers for implementing the tariff hike before the conclusion of a committee’s review, describing the move as a breach of trust and an attack on Nigerians already grappling with economic hardship.