Bosun Tijani, the minister of communications, innovation,
and digital economy, says a hike in telecoms tariff will not exceed 60 percent.
Amid a push for an upward adjustment in tariff, Tijani had
declined a 100 percent increase as demanded by telcos.
Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television,
the minister said any increase would range between 30 percent to 60 percent.
“I think they should only increase by not more than anywhere
between 30 to 60 percent,” he said.
Tijani said approving a 100 percent tariff hike would be
harmful to Nigerians.
The minister also said allowing such a significant increase
would hinder the country’s growth, hence the focus on sustainability.
“We’re asking difficult questions, like can we possibly
increase the local content in that sector, meaning can we reduce the amount of
imports that are coming into that sector, which means they have to look for
foreign exchange, which is more expensive,” Tijani said.
“We’ve declared all their infrastructure as critical
national infrastructure, that’s something they’ve been looking for for years.
President Tinubu did that last year.
“The reason is that when people go and vandalise
telecommunications equipment, it drops the quality of service that people get,
but it also costs this company a lot to repair. We’re taking that away.
“If you look at the tax reform, for instance, there are a
number of things there to harmonise taxes that they pay, to reduce it in a way
that is good for the country, but also allows these companies to thrive.
“We are as a country, for instance, investing in that 90,000
kilometres that I mentioned. When we do the investment, it will allow these
companies to be able to reach more people.
“If we’re investing in towers in difficult-to-reach
locations, in rural areas, it will give them the opportunity to increase the
pool of customers that they have without making heavy investments.”
Tijani said his team’s recommendations, based on KPMG
reports, would soon be finalised and circulated.
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