Tijani, however, promised that the FG ‘ll no longer leave investments in infrastructure in the telecommunications sector to private companies
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has thrown his weight behind calls for telecommunications tariffs increment in the country.
The minister confirmed plans to increase call and data tariffs soon on Wednesday in Abuja at the end of a stakeholders meeting with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).
Tijani, however, assured Nigerians that the increment will not be the 100 percent that telecom operators are pushing for at the moment.
He went on to say the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), will approve a new tariffs and make it public.
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Speaking at the parley, Tijani said, “You have seen over the past weeks that there has been agitation from some of these companies to increase tariffs. They are requesting a 100 percent tariff increase.
“But it will not be by 100 percent. We are still looking at that study, and NCC will come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it.
“We want to strike the balance as a government to protect our people but also protect and ensure that these companies can continue to invest significantly.
“We need to ensure that as a sector, we get our acts together and ensure that from the regulation side, we put the right regulations in place that can ensure the growth of this sector.”
He further noted that the federal government will no longer leave investments in infrastructure in the sector to private companies alone.
“As a country, over time, we have left this investment in the hands of the private sector. They typically invest where they can see returns in the short to medium term.
“We will not want this conversation to just be about tariff increase. I think what the world is talking about today is meaningful connectivity.
“You want to have access to very good quality service.
“A part of it that the consumers may not be aware of is the investment that needs to go into the infrastructure that is used to deliver these services,” Tijani added.
