Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday morning ordered the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to stop the planned increase in the prices of data by telecommunications in the country.
There have been mixed reactions concerning the proposed tariffs hike of data from Thursday, December 1, 2016.
On Wednesday, November 30, 2016, Deputy Senate Leader, Mr Bala Na’Allah, who raised a motion on the floor of the Senate on the increase in data tariffs by the telecoms, said the move was shocking and anti-people.
Other lawmakers, who debated on the issue, also condemned it, reminding the NCC that it is supposed to protect the interest of Nigerians just like the Senate.
“It is very important that we protect the people that brought us here. This is the height of irresponsibility by NCC,” the Senate disclosed via its Twitter handle.
“Senators in all totality condemned the increase of data Tariffs by the service providers in tandem with @NgComCommission. Senate now resolves to halt the new tariff approval,” it wrote on its official Twitter handle.
Meanwhile, the Senate has mandated its Committee on Communications “to carry out thorough oversight on the process to ensure that Nigerians are carried along in the process.”
It further mandated the committee “to ensure that Nigerians are not short changed.”
