News
Just in: FG Endorses Telcos Tariff Increase
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, says that telecom tariffs will soon increase but assures Nigerians that it will not be the 100 per cent that telecom operators are pushing for at the moment.
The Minister disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on Wednesday in Abuja. He said consultations and engagements were ongoing to arrive at an acceptable rate, assuring that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), would soon approve the new tariffs and make it public to Nigerians.
“You have seen over the past weeks that there has been agitation from some of these companies to increase tariff. They are requesting for 100 per cent tariff increase
“But it will not be by 100 per cent. We are still looking at that study and NCC will come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it.
“We want to strike the balance as a government to protect our people, but also protect and ensure that these companies can continue to invest significantly.
“We need to ensure that as a sector, we get our acts together, ensure that from the regulation side, we put the right regulations in place that can ensure the growth of this sector.”
The Minister also noted that the Federal Government would no longer leave investments on infrastructure in the sector to private companies alone
As a country, over time, we have left this investments in the hands of the private sector. They typically invest where they can see returns in the short to medium term.
“We will not want this conversation to just be about tariff increase. I think what the world is talking about today is meaningful connectivity.
“You want to have access to very good quality service.
“A part of it that the consumers may not be aware of is the investment that needs to go into the infrastructure that is used to deliver these services,” he said.
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC), of the NCC Dr Aminu Maida said that the meeting with stakeholders was about the sustainability of the industry.
“We have looked at all of these factors, and that is why, like the Minister said, it is not likely that we are going to approve 100 per cent tariff increase.
“I know that Nigerians are agitated to hear the exact percentage approved. There is still some stakeholder engagements that we are going through, but you will hear from us within a week or two.”
He said that the NCC had put a number of tools and instruments into place by revising its quality of service regulations for compliance service quality.
He said that the MNOs must comply simplified templates to show Nigerians charges per minute for voice calls, SMS and a megabyte of data.
“We are moving away from the regime where you will have a main rate, then you will now have a bonus which is at a different rate.
“It makes it often complicated and difficult for Nigerians to actually understand what they are being charged for.
“This is one of the things when we took a lot of time over the past year looking at data there is this agitation that the MNOs are stealing our data,” he said.
The CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, represented by Femi Adeniran, Airtel media spokes person, noted that for the telecoms commitment to delivering superior connectivity and fostering digital inclusion, there is need for tariff increments.
“The economic realities of rising operational and capital costs, necessitated the proposed tariff adjustments.
This is aimed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector while unlocking significant benefits for Nigerian consumers,” he said.
*Says, will not be silent
By Francesca Hangeior
Christian leaders in Plateau have announced plans to stage a protest over the unending attacks and killings in the state.
The protest, scheduled for Easter Monday, will be held under the banner of the “2nd Peace Walk Against Continuous Killings”.
Dr Gideon ParaMallam, president of the Gideon and Funmi Peace Foundation and a member of the protest planning committee, confirmed the development.
ParaMallam said the procession was organised by denominational leaders and the Plateau chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).Nigerian cultural tours
His words: “Between March 27th and April 2nd, 2025, nearly 80 innocent lives were brutally cut short in Bokkos local government area. This does not include Bassa LGA and other parts of Nigeria.
“As a mark of honour for the dead and a cry for justice, the Church is organising a 2nd Peace Walk to demand an end to these senseless, unprovoked, and continuous attacks in Plateau state and other parts of Nigeria.
“We must not be silent. We must not allow their blood to cry out unheard.”
He said the protest would begin at the PRTV roundabout in Jos and end at the New Government House in Little Rayfield.
ParaMallam said the demonstrators will deliver their demands to President Bola Tinubu through Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
He called on all Christians in the state to join the procession dressed in black as a symbol of mourning.
He said: “The protest is a call for peace, justice, and security for every life on the Plateau and across Nigeria.
“We have asked all Christians to wear black to church on Easter Sunday, 20th, and during the Peace Walk on Monday, 21st.
“Black, red, and white clothes are to be worn as visible symbols of our mourning — black for grief, red to call for an end to the killings, and white to represent peaceful resistance to impunity.”
The protest follows a series of deadly attacks in Plateau.
By Francesca Hangeior
At least forty people have been reportedly killed in a fresh assault on the Zike community, Kimakpa, Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area of the state.
Despite reassurances from government authorities, the spate of attacks in Plateau has continued.
According to a Kwall community leader, Wakili Tongwe, the attackers invaded the village in the early hours of Monday and shot sporadically at residents who were scampering for safety after hearing gunshots.
The community leader told Channels Television on the phone that a team of vigilantes, including himself and some security personnel, were on patrol in another community when the attackers invaded the village and started shooting.
Though the security personnel engaged the invaders and succeeded in repelling the attackers, the damage had been done, with about thirty-six persons shot dead and four others dying later.
Some other residents sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving medical attention at the hospital.
Security agencies in the state are yet to comment on the attack, which is coming less than two weeks after fifty-two persons were killed in some communities of the Bokkos Local Government Area of the North-Central state.
Plateau State has, for several decades, been a hotbed of killings, with gunmen sacking entire communities. About 200 people were killed at Christmas 2023 celebrations during a bloody attack on a majority Christian community. In May last year, around 40 people were killed and homes torched in the town of Wase.
Experts blame the fight for resources between farmers and herders as a major cause of the attacks.
But the governor of the state, Caleb Muftwang, says there is more to the attacks.
“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists. The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel,” the governor said on a recent edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said bandits have taken over 64 communities in the state.
“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom local governments,” Muftwang said. “They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy.”
The Federal Government has been talking tough following the recent wave of attacks, vowing to flush out the assailants. The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, “ordered the immediate and comprehensive deployment of police tactical assets to the affected areas of the state”.
In a shocking diplomatic move that is making waves across the globe, Namibia has announced plans to deport over 500 American nationals currently residing in the country without valid visas.
The decision comes as part of a sweeping policy overhaul led by President
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
aimed at asserting reciprocity and strengthening Africa’s sovereignty on immigration matters.
“If Africans need visas to enter the United States, then Americans must also need visas to enter Namibia,” the President declared firmly during a nationally televised address. “This is not aggression — it is fairness. It is dignity.”
According to government sources, the Americans targeted for deportation are individuals who have overstayed or entered without proper documentation. Immigration officials have already begun serving notices, and coordinated efforts with law enforcement are underway to ensure a lawful and orderly process.
The move has ignited debate worldwide, with some calling it a bold stance for equity in international relations. Others are urging caution, warning of potential diplomatic fallout.
But the Namibian leader appears undeterred.
In a separate announcement, the President revealed ongoing efforts to make Namibia a visa-free country for all African nations, promoting intra-African travel, trade, and unity. “It’s time we stop treating our African brothers and sisters like foreigners on their own continent,” she said. “Africa must rise — and we must rise together.”
The policy shift has been hailed by many Pan-African advocates as a landmark moment in Africa’s geopolitical awakening.
As reactions pour in from Washington and other world capitals, all eyes are now on Namibia — a small nation making a mighty statement on the global stage.
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