Miffed by the recent increase in telecom charges and tariffs, some students of higher institutions in Ekiti State on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The students under the aegis of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) had on Thursday visited the office of one the telecommunication operators in Ado-Ekiti to register their displeasure over the increases.
The protesters, who were armed with placards with various inscription such as “MTN Nigerian students are not your ATM, Enough of telecommunication hike”, and sang various songs decrying the increment, picketed an MTN office located at the popular Fajuyi area of the capital city.
Telecom companies in the country had in February jerked up their charges for calls, data, and other services which the protesting students described as outrageous.
Following the hike, rate for phone call was increased from N 11 to N17.60 per minute, SMS rose from N4 to N6 and the price of data was increased by 50 percent.
Addressing newsmen and the protesters, the Chairman, Joint Campus Committee (JCC) Ekiti State chapter, Mr Femi Asaolu said the increment in telcos tariffs has made life difficult for students as they can no longer afford data to do their assignments and other academic works.
Asaolu appealed to MTN and other telecommunication service providers to rescind their decision and reverse to the old price in the interest of the students.
The student leader also called on the Nigeria government to save and protect Nigerian students from unwanted extortion in the guise of tariff increase in the services of the telecommunication operators.
Also speaking, another Students’ Union leader, Mr Michael Ayeni, begged MTN and other telecommunication companies in the country to consider the plight of Nigeria students and stop the arbitrary increase in their tariff.
Ayeni explained that parents were already overburdened with skyrocketing prices of commodities and school fees, noting that increase in the telecoms’ service tariffs and charges hike has added to their burden.
The students vowed to continue the protest and mobilise more students if their agitations and demands were not addressed.
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