Ekiti Students Protest Telecoms Tariff Hike
Angered by the recent increase in telecom charges, students from various higher institutions in Ekiti State held a peaceful protest on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The students, organized under the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), visited a local office of one of the telecom operators in Ado-Ekiti to express their dissatisfaction with the recent tariff hikes.
Armed with placards bearing messages like “MTN, Nigerian students are not your ATM!” and “Enough of telecom hikes,” the protesters gathered at an MTN office in the Fajuyi area of the capital, chanting slogans against the increased charges.
In February, telecom companies raised their charges for calls, data, and other services, which the protesting students deemed excessive. The cost of phone calls was raised from N11 to N17.60 per minute, SMS charges increased from N4 to N6, and data prices surged by 50 percent.
Addressing the protesters and the media, the Chairman of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC) in Ekiti State, Mr. Femi Asaolu, expressed that the tariff hikes had made life more difficult for students. He explained that students were now struggling to afford data for academic work, including assignments and research.
Asaolu appealed to MTN and other telecom operators to reconsider the increase and revert to the previous rates, emphasizing the negative impact the hike was having on students’ education.
Another student leader, Mr. Michael Ayeni, added that the telecom companies should recognize the financial challenges faced by Nigerian students. He pointed out that parents were already dealing with rising prices for everyday goods and increasing school fees, and the added burden of telecom hikes was only worsening their financial strain.
The students made it clear that they would continue their protest and rally more support if their demands for a reversal of the telecom tariff hikes were not met.
