Nigerians have said it takes “only miracle” for them to survive the ever worsening living conditions in the country.
According to them, the rising hike in electricity tariff, telecom charges, cable television subscription rates, among others, have further worsened their plights.
Amid the crumbling economy, organizations, companies, industries and agencies have continued to announce increments in their charges, subscriptions and tariffs. From electricity tariff to telecom charges, to satellite TV subscription, bank charges, commission increments and poor exchange rate, it has been a troubling time for many average citizens.
Many Nigerians lamented that the hikes have affected their cost of living, source of livelihoods and general wellbeing, among other essential things.
For them, it only takes “special grace of God” for many households who have been struggling to put food on their tables, to afford the recent increments in electricity tariff, subscription rates for DSTV and GoTV and tariff hike for both voice and data services of MTN, Glo, Airtel and other telecommunications operators.
At a time poor Nigerians are yet to recover from the debilitating consequences of the sudden removal of fuel subsidy, which necessitated sharp hikes in prices of foods, transportation fares, house rents, goods and other services, paying hugely for power, telecoms data, bank charges has become latest sources of worry for poor Nigerians.
The affected persons, including small business operators, artisans, civil servants said their hopes of survival have continued to deem.
Some Nigerians who spoke with The Point in their separate interviews berated political leaders for allowing companies, agencies, industries and organizations to increase their goods and services when ordinary citizens could not boast of three square meals.
According to them, they are being pushed to the wall with worsening inflation of goods and services in the country.
They said the recent hikes in basic utilities such as electricity and satellite television subscriptions, could precipitate crimes and fraudulent practices among Nigerians who may want to beat the current excruciating hardship.
After several agitations and counter-agitations from telecoms industry groups and the labour union, over the approval granted by the Nigerian Communications Commission on a 50 per cent telecoms tariff hike, the telcos have commenced the implementation process, without prior notice to the subscribers.
Although the template for the new rate differs among the telecom operators, its approval by the NCC has propelled some operators whose tariff templates were ready and approved by the NCC, to commence implementation of the new tariff rate, without consulting the subscribers.
MTN was the first to begin the 50 per cent tariff hike implementation, followed by Airtel, with others following suit.
One gig MTN data that used to sell for N350 by retailers is now N800. For Airtel, one gig data, retailers sell for N600 while Glo one gig data goes for N500.
Even as Nigerians have been lamenting poor electricity supply with many complaining of paying for darkness, the Federal Government has said that for electricity tariffs to reflect the actual cost of production, some Nigerians might need to pay over 65 percent of what they are currently paying for a kilowatt/hour of electricity.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen, said that Nigeria’s power prices need to rise by about two-thirds for many customers to reflect the cost of supplying it.
Verheijen, who noted that an increase can be expected within months, however noted that the higher electricity tariffs will need to be balanced by subsidies for less-affluent consumers.
According to the Special Adviser, who spoke in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the additional fund is required for the maintenance needed to improve reliability and to attract private investors into power generation and transmission.
As if that was not enough, MultiChoice Nigeria recently announced an upward review of subscription prices for its Digital Satellite Television (DStv) and General Entertainment and Occasional Television (GOtv) packages, citing rising operational costs due to economic conditions.
The new rates have taken effect from Saturday, 1 March 2025, according to a statement issued to partners. The company explained the rationale behind the price adjustment, saying, “Due to prevalent economic factors leading to increased operational costs, we have unavoidably had to adjust the prices of our DStv and GOtv subscription packages.
We understand the impact this change may have on our valued partners, and we have only taken this step after careful consideration and in-depth analysis.”
Under the new pricing structure, DStv Premium will now cost N44,500, Compact+ N30,000, Compact N19,000, Confam N11,000, Yanga N6,000, and Padi N4,400. For GOtv, Supa Plus will be N16,800, Supa N11,400, Max N8,500, Jolli N5,800, Jinja N3,900, and Smallie N1,900.
MultiChoice Nigeria, a subsidiary of MultiChoice Group, a leading provider of digital satellite and terrestrial television services across Africa. The company operates DStv and GOtv.
This is not the first time MultiChoice Nigeria has increased subscription fees. In April 2023, the company raised prices by 17%, a move that sparked backlash from customers and regulatory scrutiny.
In 2022, a similar price hike led to a legal battle with the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, which ruled against an immediate increment.
Despite the controversies, MultiChoice has consistently defended its price reviews, attributing them to inflation, foreign exchange fluctuations, and rising content acquisition costs.
The company reassured customers of its commitment to delivering quality entertainment, saying “It has always been our mission to offer the best entertainment to our esteemed customers and we are committed to continue delivering high-quality content and unparalleled service to our viewers across Nigeria.”
In a move that further depletes the lean purse of struggling Nigerians, the Federal Government, through its Central Bank, increased transaction fees for Automated Teller Machines.
The CBN announced that ATM withdrawals made at a machine owned by a bank but outside its branch premises will now attract a charge of N100 per N20,000 withdrawn. ATM withdrawals at shopping centres, airports or standalone cash points, will incur a N100 fee plus a surcharge of up to N500 per N20,000 withdrawal.
Reacting, a Nigerian small scale business owner, Monica Abayomi, said her business has been experiencing challenges owing to difficulty in powering her shop. She said, “I don’t understand my prepaid meter again. The moment I tried to purchase N5,000 units of electricity into my prepaid meter, it barely lasts a week for me and most times, I am left without power. This has been giving me concerns because my soft drinks I sell are no longer cold as they used to.”
A social worker in Osogbo, Kingsley Fidelis, bemoaned recent hikes in TV subscriptions, telecom and ATM charges, saying, “We only survive in this country by miracle. Our governments’ insensitivity is becoming legendary and it appears our lamentation no longer means anything to them. At a time the poor citizens expect respite, what we get is more bills for very poor wages and salaries. This is unfair and killing. We only hope in God for divine intervention.”
Meanwhile, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the Central Bank of Nigeria “over the failure to reverse the patently unlawful, unfair, unreasonable and unjust increase in ATM transaction fees.”
In the suit number FHC/L/CS/344/2025 filed recently at the Federal High Court, Lagos, SERAP asked the court to determine “whether the decision by the CBN to increase ATM transaction fees is not arbitrary, unfair, unreasonable, and contrary to the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.”
SERAP urged the court for “a declaration that the decision by the CBN to increase ATM transaction fees is arbitrary, unfair, unreasonable and contrary to the provisions of sections 1(c) and (d), 104, 105 and 127(1) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which is binding on the CBN.”
SERAP sought “an order of interim injunction restraining the CBN, its officers, agents, associates or any other persons acting on its directive or instructions from enforcing and giving effect to the decision, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction filed in this suit.”
In the suit, SERAP argued that, “The increase cannot be justified under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the CBN Act, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, and the country’s international human rights obligations.”
It added, “The increase creates a two-tiered financial system that discriminates against poor Nigerians who may not be able to afford or pay the increased ATM fees.”
