The Nigerian Senate has urged the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy to initiate discussions with telecom providers aimed at reviewing data prices to ease the financial burden on subscribers.
This decision came following a motion titled “Urgent Need to Address the Increased Cost of Data Services in Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), which received strong backing during Wednesday’s plenary session.
Earlier in February, major telecom operators such as MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile significantly increased their charges for data and airtime, citing escalating operational costs.
In presenting his motion, Ekpenyong expressed concern, highlighting that the over 200% price hike had “placed significant financial strain on millions of Nigerians, especially young people who rely on the internet for their livelihood.”
The Senate further recommended that the ministry formulate a comprehensive policy aimed at ensuring affordable internet services. It also urged the government to establish and support tech hubs nationwide to “provide free or subsidised internet access to young entrepreneurs, students, and innovators.”
The motion specifically stated:
“The Senate notes that young Nigerians have embraced the digital economy, leveraging the internet for various income-generating activities, including e-commerce and online trading software development, web design, and mobile app creation, content creation on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, online education and professional skill development and cryptocurrency trading.
“Concerned that fibre-optic internet services remain unaffordable for the average young Nigerian, leaving them heavily dependent on mobile telecommunications companies for internet access and the sudden substantial increase in data costs threatens their economic survival and limits access to critical digital services.
“Aware that the high cost of doing business in Nigeria is driven by multiple challenges, bottlenecks that slow down business operations and high cost of diesel, (the Senate) believes that urgent government intervention is required to ensure affordable internet access remains available to Nigerians, particularly the youth, who are the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasized the significance of this motion, noting that implementing it would provide crucial support for young entrepreneurs by offering affordable data, thereby enabling increased profitability and sustainable growth.