A few hours ago, Bukola Saraki the Nigerian Senate President responded to a tweet by the Enough is Enough initiative that questioned the role of the law makers in the data hike.
Already working on this. https://t.co/0Z9D2SVhpE
— Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) November 30, 2016
The original tweet questioned what the Nigerian Senate and the Senate president was doing about the proposed hike, to which Bukola Saraki responded that they were already working on it.
After the aforementioned tweet, the issue was raised during the plenary session that is still underway. Deputy Senate Leader Ibn N'Allah raised the motion.
Deputy Senate Leader Ibn N'Allah raises a motion on the increase in data tariffs by the telecomms. over policies of the @NgComCommission
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) November 30, 2016
There seemed to be a unanimous agreement on all fronts that the increase in data was not a wise move on the part of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Senators in all totality condemned the increase of data Tariffs by the service providers in tandem with @NgComCommission
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) November 30, 2016
They even went ahead to call the move "the height of irresponsibility" by the NCC and how they needed to protect the citizens that voted them to power.
" It is very important that we protect the people that brought us here this is the height of irresponsibility by @NgComCommission....
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) November 30, 2016
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After the deliberations, the Senate decided to halt approval of the new proposed data price hike.
Senate now resolves to halt the new tariff approval.
— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) November 30, 2016
Reservations
It is joyous news that we can keep buying data at the old prices; halting the proposed tariff hike was a laudable move from the Nigerian senate, but it is still not looking right.
Amidst all the batterings that senate has been getting for its archaic and redundant bills and stance on matters relating to technology, calling out the NCC seems to be more of a ploy to salvage its image than a genuine concern for the Nigerian subscribers.
Suggested Read; Why the Nigerian Senate should be cautious of ‘regulating’ eCommerce
Everybody deserves a second chance at redemption, but before we do a victory dance, it is important to note that the same Senator Ibn N'Allah that moved this motion is the major proponent of the Social Media gag bill that nearly brought Nigerian internet to its knees.
The Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) is a government parastatal and its actions are supposed to be in consonance with the other arms of the government. So it is unacceptable when the Nigerian Senate comes to make them fall guys in a bid to come out looking fine.
Meanwhile the NCC has just released an official statement to state their stance on the issue;
Before the new suspended price floor of N0.90k/MB, the industry average for dominant operators including MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, EMTS Limited (Etisalat) and Airtel Nigeria Limited was N0.53k/MB. Etisalat offered (N0.94k/MB), Airtel (N0.52k/MB), MTN (N0.45k/MB) and Globacom (N0.21k/MB).
The smaller operators/ new entrants charge the following: Smile Communications N0.84k/MB, Spectranet N0.58k/MB and NATCOMS (NTEL) N0.72k/MB. The NCC as a responsive agency of government takes into consideration the feelings of the consumers and so decided to suspend the new price floor.
It is unclear if the this retraction is a function of the directive by the Nigerian or not as part of the press release reads;
The decision to suspend this directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by Consumers across the country
And it is still very doubtful if the Nigerian Senate can "order" the Nigerian Communication Commission to halt anything. It looked like the Senate probably got a wind of the new NCC direction and played off the ignorance of the masses to look like our knights in shining armour.
Even though we all appreciate the well thought out move by the senate, we still are not impressed.
