In a bold move against rising telecommunication costs, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is calling for a nationwide daily boycott of phone calls, texts, and data services. The labor union wants Nigerians to go offline between 11 AM and 2 PM in protest of what they’re calling an “unjustified” tariff increase by major telecom providers.
“We need to show these companies that Nigerians won’t be taken for granted,” NLC spokesperson Benson Upah declared during a fiery interview on Arise News.
“If we stand together for just three hours each day, we can bring these giants to their knees.”
The controversy stems from telecom providers allegedly breaking a recent agreement with the government. According to Upah, an agreement was reached to form a 10-member technical committee to review pricing – but before the committee could even meet, companies like MTN, Airtel, and Glo went ahead and hiked their rates anyway.
“It’s a slap in the face,” Upah said, visibly frustrated. “These companies think they can treat Nigeria differently than other countries.
Well, we’re here to remind them that before mobile phones, Nigeria still existed and thrived.”
The timing of the price increases has particularly angered the NLC, coming just ten days after the MoU was signed.
“The ink isn’t even dry on the agreement,” Upah noted, “and they’re already showing complete disregard for it.”
Upah pointed out that some of these telecom giants have deeper pockets than the Nigerian government itself, making their rush to increase prices even more questionable.
“They’re not struggling companies – they’re just being greedy,” he argued.
The NLC is urging Nigerians to maintain the boycott until month-end, warning that without strong public resistance now, companies might feel emboldened to implement even steeper increases in the future.
“This is our moment to prove our strength as a people,” Upah declared. “Three hours a day – that’s all we’re asking.
Skip those afternoon calls, hold off on those texts, wait to buy that data bundle. Together, we can force these companies back to the negotiating table.”
