Some residents of Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa states have decried the incessant hike in electricity and telecommunications tariffs amidst epileptic supply and poor service delivery.
Some of the consumers who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the various states described the situation as worrisome given the economic hardship being faced by Nigerians.
In Lokoja, Mr Idris Miliki, said the hike in electricity was outrageous and that supply was not commensurate to the amount being charged.
He urged the power distribution companies to be consistent in ensuring constant electricity supply to their customers.
“Going by the new tariffs, we should be able to enjoy electricity supply for an average of 20 hours per day. If that happens, we shall be glad to pay our bills,” Miliki said.
Miss Joy Ameh, a Point of Sale (POS) agent, said the hike in tariffs for voice calls and data services had compounded the hardship on citizens.
“The government should be sensitive to the plight of the poor masses. The timing of the hike was wrong, given the current economic challenges faced by many Nigerians.
“To worsen the situation, we are not enjoying quality network service from the providers, they are just exploiting innocent Nigerians,” Ameh said.
Also, Mr Richard Abiola, a student of Federal University Lokoja, said the hike in telecoms tariffs and poor service delivery had compelled most Nigerians to switch between services providers in search of cheaper rates or more efficient services.
Adebowale Asalu, a trader, said the poor telecommunication service provision was affecting the cashless policy initiative of the Nigerian government.
He maintained that the inconsistencies of the telecoms service providers was affecting the effective running of his businesses.
“This is because most of my customers preferred cashless transactions either by banks Apps or POS, in spite of the high tariffs.
“The partial way out of the quagmire is to have alternatives. I mean having more than one sim card from different telecommunication service providers, so that when one fails, the other one might serve,” he said.
Asalu appealed to Nigerian Government check the excesses of the telecommunication companies and the services they render to their subscribers.
Mr Kehinde James, another subscriber, the telecoms service providers in Nigeria had not lived up to expectations in spite of the hike in tariffs.
According to him, sometimes network services disappear for days without any explanation to their subscribers.
“To me, no network is better than the other. All of them are the same, no fair alternative,” he said.
He appealed to the federal government and the service providers to ensure justice and fairness by putting the interest of citizens at heart to help boost the nation’s economy.
In Niger, Dr Abdullahi Jabi, a security and communication expert, Dr Abdullahi Jabi, noted that the hike in tariffs was ill-timed as Nigerians were going through hard times to survive.
He explained that the situation was becoming exploitative and appealed to the Federal Government to take actions that would ameliorate the plight of the people.
“For some time now, for an average Nigerian to buy data or even to recharge their cellphones not to talk of paying light bills had been very difficult due to the hike in these essential services .
“There is a need for urgent reversal of these hike to enable the masses to hive a sigh of relief at least once again,” he said.
He advised that electricity telecoms tariffs hikes should be done in such a way that it would be affordable to Nigerians.
Also, Mr Nuhu Julius, in Minna, expressed his dissatisfaction with the hike in tariffs.
“I have reduced the frequency and duration of my calls since the tariff hike.
“The hike was unexpected, and we as consumers are paying higher rates for the same service, which is unfair,” he said.
He also noted that the hike had made him more conscious of the minutes he spends making calls.
“Before the hike, some network providers gave customers bonuses to make calls and free data with every recharge, but these days you get nothing,” he added.
On the issue of network quality, he cited dropped calls, poor network connection, and network outages as some of the major problems faced by subscribers.
“Sometimes you barely hear what the person is saying on the other line,” he said.
When asked if he had considered switching to another network provider, Julius said most people already have multiple lines and alternate between them.
“We don’t really have alternatives; we have to manage the services like that,” he said.
Hajiya Fatima Musa, a trader in Kontagora, lamented the electricity tariff hike, saying it had increased her expenses.
“We’re paying more for electricity, but the supply is still irregular,” she said.
Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, a student at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said he had started using alternative means of communication to avoid the high call rates.
“I have started using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger more often to avoid the high call rates,” he said.
Mrs Aisha Mohammed, a resident of Minna, expressed frustration over the poor service delivery by telecommunication companies.
“It’s frustrating to pay more for a service that’s not reliable,” she said.
In Nasarawa State, telecommunications customers have expressed disappointment over the recent hike in tariff by the network service providers inthe country.
Mr Emmanuel Audu, a resident of Lafia said that the hike was unjustifiable and that it would further exacerbate the already difficult economic situation in the country.
“We are already struggling to make ends meet, and now they have increased the cost of telecommunications services.
“Mobile phones have become part of our lives, and it will be difficult for anyone to do without them now, so the high cost of data and calls, as well as messages, is already affecting us,” he said.
Mr Audu called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to reverse the decision to enable the poor to get some relief.
Abdullahi Mohammed, another customer in Akwanga, said the hike was a slap in the face of Nigerians and called on the NCC to prioritise the interests of consumers.
He said situation was taking telecoms services beyond the reach of the people, especially civil servants.
Mohammed explained that the cost of living was becoming difficult for the average worker due to the high cost of food, transportation, energy, and now data, calls and text messages.
He appealed to the government to reverse it in the interest of the overall development of the country. (NAN).
