An affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, had distanced itself from the February 4, 2025 protest called by the union over the 50 percent tariff increase approved for telecommunications companies by the Nigeria Communications Commission.
The position of the association was contained in a letter to the NLC, signed by Okonu Abdullahi, the General Secretary of PTECSSAN.
The association said N:C acted “in error” without consulting them.
It said: “It is our firm belief that the Congress leadership has acted in error in taking these decisions without prior consultation with our Union that operates in the sector.”
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PTECSSAN listed the financial challenges of the telecom sector, which it said included the removal of fuel subsidies and fluctuating exchange rate.
It said these factors have resulted in an increase in the price of Automated Gas Oil, popularly known as diesel, used to power base stations, from N842.25 to an average of N1,441.28 since May 2023.
The association also pointed to the soaring cost of petrol, which has risen from N198 to over N1,030 in some areas, impacting the mobility of field engineers responsible for maintaining these crucial sites.
PTECSSAN said the fluctuating exchange rate, with the Naira depreciating from N460 to approximately N1,700 against the dollar, has made importing essential telecom equipment significantly more expensive, adding: “Putting it in the right perspective as done previously, the Naira was exchanging for N460 to 1 dollar before May 2023 and today it is around N1,700 to 1 dollar.”
It then added: “Therefore, there is no way out of high running cost on maintenance of the telecommunications sites.”
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