Rest in peace or rest for now?
The prospect of affordable data in Nigeria might not be over yet
Good morning, Big Brains. The mighty grid has fallen again, and I don’t even know how to feel. Nigeria is Nigeria-ing so hard this week.
Margaret
Word count: ~ 1, 000
Reading time ~ 4 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
The telecom tariff hike might not be here to stay
Guns are missing in Nigeria, and the Senate wants answers
The Big Deal
The telecom tariff hike might not be here to stay
We heard some of you have reached the ‘acceptance stage’ of grief since your favourite Nigerian service providers announced the death of affordable data plans on Tuesday, February 11. If you’re among those who have rushed to the acceptance stage already, you might want to take a few steps back because the hike has not been concluded.
Before we get into the not-so-bad details, let’s go back to the genesis of this whole mess. In January, telco guys asked the federal government for a 100% hike in the cost of their services because Nigeria’s inflation was making it harder and more expensive for them to run profitable businesses. In response, FG said, “Your story is touching, but you’ll like 50%.” Both parties wrapped up their haggling and called it a day, but the party that matters most (aka, final consumers) didn’t get a say in the negotiation. So when the news that popular telecom service providers like MTN had hiked their prices hit the internet on February 11, there was a public kickback against it.
Now, lawmakers, who are usually on the wrong side of things, have decided to stay on the side of the people by asking the federal government to suspend the hike.
Why is this a big deal?
There is a possibility that the hike will be suspended. The telecommunications industry is just one of the many industries raising the cost of their products and services. Government agencies like the National Custom Services (NCS), which recently imposed a 4% levy on importation services, have suspended the intended tariff after stakeholders raised concerns about how it could make life harder for Nigerians.
There’s also a possibility the suspension might not be as permanent as we’d like because lawmakers said the only way the increment would be sustained is if network providers fix the shitty service Nigerians constantly complain about.
If the suspension doesn’t happen, we’ll have to live with the hiked prices and it’ll take a toll on people. Joe Ajaro, President of the National Labour Congress (NLC), already did the maths. He said the average Nigerian spent at least 10% of their income on telecommunication charges before the hike but would be forced to spend 15% of the same income if the telecom tariff hike becomes a thing.
This affects everyone – from entrepreneurs, to students, the petty trader in the market, civil servants and more. Even though the telco guys are not the enemy here, the burden of their increased operating costs shouldn’t be this badly felt by citizens already dealing with the worst economic crisis and increasing poverty rate.
There’s still little to no information about FG’s response to the lawmakers’ request, so it is still 1.8GB for ₦1,500.
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Guns are missing in Nigeria, and the Senate wants answers
Raise a finger if you remember when ₦36 million went missing in Nigeria, and a snake got blamed. This time, it’s not just money that’s gone missing; guns have also joined the disappearing act.
During a report review by the Senate Public Accounts Committee, lawmakers discovered that over 3,900 firearms assigned to the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), including AK-47s, have vanished into thin air. And if you’re wondering where they are now, the Senate Public Accounts Committee is about to find out.
The committee is currently asking the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, for the answers to all the questions you wish you could ask him.
Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, the committee’s vice chairman, explained that some weapons were lost when officers died in the line of duty, but over 99% remain unaccounted for.
When the IGP was summoned, he sent Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Abdul Suleiman to represent him but he might (or maybe not) be regretting that decision now because Suleiman tried to downplay the concerns of the lawmakers by insisting that matters that concern police firepower should be had in private.
In what we’re considering a massive W for Nigerians, the Senators stood on business and told Suleiman they weren’t having it— they demanded full accountability, rejecting calls for a closed-door session.
The committee says it is still unconvinced by the explanations and has ordered the IGP himself, Egbetokun, to come to the National Assembly by himself on Monday, February 17, with concrete answers. Until then, Nigerians can only hope these missing AK-47s aren’t deep in the stomach of a whale— because history has taught us that this is a big possibility.
This Week’s Big Question
What do you think about Nigeria possibly getting 31 new states?
Samuel’s response - “Please, the state and capital rhymes are hard enough for kids as it is. Ghari state ko, Garri state ni”
You can also share your response here, and if it’s as interesting as Samuel’s, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
Tax Bills Scale Second Reading At House Of Reps: The four tax reform bills President Bola Tinubu sent to the National Assembly in 2024 have passed the second reading in the House of Representatives.
Trump Fires USAID Inspector General: US media reported on Wednesday that President Donald Trump has dismissed the independent inspector general of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).