The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has debunked reports that it approves new tariff hike plans for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the country, which will further increase tariffs being paid by telecom subscribers for products and services.
The commission made the clarification on Saturday based on what it termed the misinformation circulating the media that it approved new tariff plans and pricing rules for the telecoms industry.
The misinformation was linked to a news report posted by the industry regulator on its website and titled “Guidance on the Simplification of Tariffs in the Nigerian Communications Sector”.
The online news report stated: “The Nigerian Communications Commission has approved tariff increases for MTN, Airtel, Glo, and other telecom companies.
“The new increase affects voice, SMS, data, and other services across the telecom industry. The new increase will see Nigerians pay more for telecom services.”
Reacting to the misleading report, the Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, clarified on his verified X account that: “Like the others, this is FAKE NEWS!
“The Commission has neither approved any Telecom Tariff plans nor hike as this report claims.
“The NCC has neither approved any new Telecom Tariff Plans nor hike as reported on online. The public is advised to please disregard.
“NCC issued a directive for all operators to simplify their current tariff plans in a transparent and fair manner for consumers”, he added.
Meanwhile, the NCC has also affirmed the position of the EVC on a post on its X page, describing the online news report as fake news, while restating that there are no such tariff plans or pricing updates have been approved.
Similarly, the MNOs have flawed the report and stressed that there was no tariff hike approval by the Commission.
In his remarks on the raging controversial report, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, was quoted as maintaining that the MNOs “have not been granted any approval for tariff review.”
