Federal Gov’t, NLC Set Up Joint C’ttee To Review 50% Telecom Tariff Hike

The Federal Government has met with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) with a view to reaching a common ground on the recent 50 per cent increment on the telecommunication tariffs by the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).

The meeting, which was at the behest of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, was aimed to maintain industrial harmony and to also protect the interest of Nigerians.

According to a statement by the director of media in the office of the SGF, Segun Imohiosen, on Monday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who spoke on behalf of the Federal Government, said that the purpose of the meeting was to look into the study carried out by the NCC which led to the 50 per cent increment on telecommunications tariffs.

After extensive deliberation, the two bodies agreed to set up a 10-man Committee comprising five members from the Federal Government and five from the NLC, to review the study and submit its report within two weeks.

“So, the summary of it is that Labour and the Nigerian Labour Congress specifically and the delegation of the federal government have set up a committee of five each. We are going to meet here continuously for the next two weeks.

“And at the end of the second week, we will now come up with a recommendation that we will give to government and the organised Labour for final consideration,” the Minister said.

The NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said that it will wait till the outcome of the Committee to determine its next line of action.

Present at the meeting were Minister Communication and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijanni, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Budget and National Planning,Atiku Bagudu, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, among others.