I’m going higher. Yes, I am!
Your call, SMS, and data plans are about to get super expensive
Good morning, Big Brains. Whew! What a week. It wasn’t bad for the first week of resumption on my end. I hope you can say the same too. We go again next week.
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1, 000
Reading time ~ 4 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Your telecom tariff is about to hit the roof
It’s not a great week for the Nigerian military
The Big Deal
Your telecom tariff is about to hit the roof
We’ll hold your hands virtually while we say this – telecommunications service providers (the people who keep you connected to the internet) are asking for a 100% increase in the cost of their services.
To make it clear that they mean business, the telco guys have made their request known to the federal government and are currently applying pressure to ensure that the 100% tariff increase happens. Before you go, “Are they mad?” we’ll get to the reason why they are making this request in a minute.
This news has a good and bad part, but we’ll start with the bad – FG is sort of granting the request. The good news– FG isn’t exactly granting the 100% increase.
.FG understands where these guys are coming from (and FG has a lot to gain from this too, because the telecommunication sector contributes to the Nigerian economy), so they are considering hiking the tariff. But according to the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijan, it won’t be a 100% hike. “So how many percent is it going to be?” – oh, we wish we knew, but Mr Tijani kept it short and vague. As far as Nigeria is concerned, “not a 100% hike” could mean as little as a 1% hike or as high as a 99.9% hike. May the odds be in our favour.
Why is this a big deal?
We’ll start with why these telco OGs are suddenly trying to increase the tariff – inflation. Like every other individual and business in Nigeria, the economy is kicking their ass, and they can’t afford (quite literally) to stay silent anymore. They’ve got salaries and increasing operational costs to pay, and the current cost of their services no longer matches their expenses. If you’re in a relationship with someone who cares about you, communicating your needs would come naturally to you. That’s exactly what is happening here.
So no, we should not be coming for their heads; it’s the heads of the people who put us in this economic mess in the first place. The telecommunication sector is a victim, too.
If or when this tariff hike happens, Nigerians will be forced to pay more for their calls, data, and SMS. Consider the current cost of your data plan and what any increase would do to it—that should give you the perfect idea of the kind of soup we’re in.
Then we have the famous proposed Value-added Tax (VAT) hike, which is also bound to affect the cost of calls, data, and SMS. So whatever increase FG and the telco guys agree on isn’t the only increase we should be worried about. Talk about double homicide.
Abasi mbok, God abeg!
It’s not a great week for the Nigerian military
It’s just the second week of 2025, and we’ve already had two suspected terrorist attacks in Nigeria.
On Monday, January 6, there was a bomb blast that killed at least two people (including the suspects) and injured two others at an Islamic school in Abuja. Even though no terrorist group has been linked to this blast, the Borno attack that happened on January 4 has given many Nigerians reason to believe that it was indeed a terrorist attack.
On Saturday, members of the Boko Haram terrorist group attacked a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Borno State. So far, six soldiers have been confirmed dead. As unfortunate as it is, this isn’t the first time in recent times we’ve seen terrorists catch the Nigerian military off guard. In November 2024, Boko Haram pulled off a similar attack when they struck a Nigerian army camp in Borno. This attack was followed by the usual condolences from President Tinubu and promises to investigate and do better. It’s barely been two months, and Boko Haram is still confident enough to directly invade another military base.
If you thought we were exaggerating when we said the military’s defence has been shaky despite increased funding, we hope you’re convinced now. We’d hate to keep losing soldiers and civilians to terrorist attacks despite heavy promises and heavier funding.
This Week’s Big Question
“What’s your biggest goal in 2025?”
Ofure’s response - “This year, I, like many other Nigerians, plan to japa. Frankly speaking, this harmattan season isn’t doing it for me. I think I’ll like snow better. “
You can also share your response here, and if it’s as interesting as Ofure’s, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
Planned Telecoms Tariff Hike Will Help Reduce Inflation, Says Rewane: The CEO of Financial Derivatives, Bismarck Rewane, has expressed support for the proposed telecom tariff hike, saying it could help bring down inflation.
What We Know About The Los Angeles Fires: Wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles have claimed at least five lives and forced tens of thousands to evacuate. Some of the flames are dangerously close to reaching parts of Hollywood.