Business
Mixed Feelings Trail Telecom Tariff Hike …As Bayelsa Consumers Lament
Telecommunication consumers in Bayelsa State have continued to express mixed feelings over the recent fifty per cent tariff hike in telecom services by telecom firms in the nation.
The Tide learnt this through separate interviews conducted by newsmen in Yenagoa, the State capital and environs.
Consumers in their numbers expressed frustration over the development, which, according to them, has further worsened the economic struggles they face.
They urged the government and telecommunication operators to review the prices downwards to ease their financial burden.
Fielding questions from Journalists, some consumers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the record high cost of living and unprecedented inflation many Nigerians are witnessing, while also grappling with unbearable financial and economic burdens, has been worsened by the hike in telecom tariff hike.
According to a cross-section of respondents, soaring prices of petrol, gas, basic food stuff, and now the 50 per cent tariff in telecommunication services, particularly mobile data, has added to the misery faced by consumers.
According to Ms. Emilia, a Business woman and mother of four, the big jump in the price of mobile data by the major network service providers has worsened her economic woes.
She said having been unable to rent a shop, she opted to take her business online.
The newsmen, who also spoke with Chief Aherhoke Okioma, a Journalist with The Daily Times, who depends on mobile data to file his report and keep abreast of happenings in a modern society, expressed regret, saying the increase in prices by the telecom companies is “choking economically”.
The Tide further reports that respondents say the hike in data is “putting a big hole” in their pockets as money meant for other purposes is now spent to purchase more airtime.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives, following a motion of urgent public importance raised by the member representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, Hon. Oboku Oforji, had directed the telecom regulator and the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy to suspend the tariff increase, arguing that Nigerians cannot afford higher telecom costs amid rising inflation and the removal of fuel subsidies.
While the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers has rejected the increase, describing it as insensitive and a more burden on consumers who are already grappling with economic challenges and poor network and service delivery, Industry stakeholders, particularly the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, have defended the tariff increase, arguing that it is vital for the long-term sustainability of the sector.
In response to customer complaints, an official of a telecom service provider, who would not want his name mentioned, told The Tide that the tariff increases which was necessitated by rising operational costs was necessary to serve subscribers better.
The Tide also learnt that Nigeria currently has over 160 million mobile telecommunication line subscribers, making telecom services no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
“From job seekers using data to browse opportunities to small business operators relying on it to connect with customers and market products, the tariff hike is cutting deep into their pockets and suffocating their finances”, a group of subscribers said.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Board stated this in a statement released by its Corporate Communications Directorate to newsmen, recently, during the inauguration of 140 trainees for the Train 7 Project.
The trainees had undergone the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development (NC-HCD) programme it organised in partnership with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The Tide gathered that the training programme was an intensive three-month Advanced NC-HCD Programme for the US$5 billion NLNG Train 7 Project on Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The trainees, The Tide further learnt are graduates in different academic disciplines who have completed a 12-month Basic Training Programme in diverse oil-and-gas-industry-related skill sets and are now set for an on-the-job phase which includes active hands-on participation in operational areas such as Turn Around Maintenance (TAM), Commissioning, and Desktop Programmes.
The Corporate Communications Directorate of the NCDMB told The Tide that in November 2024, a set of 331 trainees under Batch A of the NLNG T7 HCD Training Programme began capacity development in facility management, engineering, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health Safety and Environment (HSE), Quality Assurance and Quality Control, as well as welding and fabrication.
According to the Board, additional 77 trainees under Batch B of the same Training Programme began capacity development in data analytics and supply chain management among several other fields relevant to the operations of the oil and gas industry.
While addressing the trainees and trainers who were drawn from the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Management Personnel of the NCDMB and NLNG, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the Advanced NC-HCD training is more than a milestone.
“The NC-HCD training programme is an expression of the collective commitment of the Board and the NLNG to nurturing world-class Nigerian professionals who will shape the future of our oil and gas industry.
“The Board has remained steadfast in its conviction that Human Capital Development is a critical investment in the sustainability and competitiveness of Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain”, the NCDMB boss said.
He said the situation has resulted in widened knowledge gaps and operational challenges.
As a globally regulated sector, he said it was important that stakeholders put measures in place to attract the talents required to move the industry forward.
Keyamo, therefore, called on stakeholders in the industry to be deliberate in identifying, encouraging, nurturing and harvesting young talents to ensure a sustainable supply of manpower to the aviation sector.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the FAAN, Mrs Obiageli Orah, in a release made available to aviation correspondents, noted that the Minister deemed it necessary to attract the right quality of human resources required to move the sector forward.
“As a globally regulated sector, it is important that stakeholders put measures in place to continually attract the right quality and quantity of human resources required to move the industry forward.
“It is important to note that organising training programmes are avenues through which we can breed, nurture, and harvest such human resources.
“One of the critical challenges facing the industry is the ageing and retiring workforce, leading to widened knowledge gaps and operational issues.
“Training programmes, I believe, is among other things designed to make aviation appealing to the younger generation, while encouraging them to develop interest in taking up a career in the industry”, the statement stated.
Meanwhile, some aviation stakeholders have expressed concerns of countless young Nigerians who seek to make their mark in aviation, tourism, and the wider transport ecosystem but often face steep barriers to entry.
According to them, lack of access, limited mentorship, financial constraints, skill mismatches, and systemic gaps, among others, have posed some constraints to them.
The Tide gathered that by the appointment, Ogbe becomes Nigeria’s representative on the Board of the 18-member continental body, which has its headquarters at Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
Ogbe was picked for this role by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who doubles as the Chairman of the NCDMB Governing Council.
The notice of the Executive Secretary’s appointment was conveyed in a congratulatory letter signed by the Director of Support Services, APPO, Mrs. Philomena Ikoko, on behalf of the Secretary-General of the organisation, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim.
She applauded the NCDMB boss on the confidence reposed in him by the Minister, expressing her belief that he would make immense contributions to the development of the African oil and gas industry.
Mrs Ikoko stated that Ogbe was joining the Executive Board of APPO at a challenging time for the oil and gas industry, especially in Africa.
“Your appointment is a major call to duty for Nigeria and the continent. The secretariat will give you the support you will need to make a success of your assignment”, she said.
According to a statement by the Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, the NCDMB played key roles in catalysing the operations of APPO and the development of local content in Africa.
The statement added that the board was providing institutional support and mentorship to several oil producing countries in their formulation of local content policies.
“The NCDMB initiated the African Local Content Roundtable (ALCR) and hosted the inaugural edition in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, in June 2021, and the event was attended by key officials of APPO and other oil industry players.
“The idea for the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) was mooted by NCDMB’s officials at the event, as one of the strategies that would accelerate the growth of the African oil and gas industry and deepen local content.
“The Board also collaborated with APPO to host subsequent editions of the African Local Content Roundtable (ALCR), including the 2023 edition held at Abuja.
“The Africa Energy Bank, which APPO is setting up at Abuja, is aimed at pooling financial resources needed to fund big-ticket oil and gas projects across the continent, and bridge funding challenges currently impeding the development of the sector”, the NCDMB’S said.
Meanwhile, the APPO Secretary-General has said the Africa Energy Bank seeks to fund oil and gas projects across economies in Africa and help to plug critical financing gaps that exist through the continent’s over reliance on financiers from the West.
He added that each APPO member country is expected to raise $83 million with an objective of raising $5 billion capital for the establishment of the Bank.
The Tide learnt that recently Nigeria, Angola and Ghana have contributed their share capital for the African Energy Bank, which represents 44 percent of the trio’s contributions to the minimum capital that is required from oil producing countries in the continent.
It would be recalled that at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) held recently, the NCDMB’s Scribe confirmed that the agency was part of key institutions that pooled resources for the formation of the Africa Energy Bank.
Ogbe announced that the Bank will open for business before the end of the 2nd quarter of this year, 2025, expressing hope that it will create more funding availability for local oil and gas projects and companies.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, had stated at the Offshore Technology Conference that Afrexim Bank has already raised $19billion for the take-off of the Africa Energy Bank.
According to him, $14 billion out of the funds represents the bank’s financial exposure on African oil and gas projects, with the additional $5 billion as take-off capital.
-
Business4 days ago
Ageing Aviation Workforce: Minister Urges Youth Grooming For Replacement
-
Sports4 days agoNPFL Top Scorer Bags N3.6m
-
Niger Delta4 days ago
UNOC 2025: Diri Canvases Synergy To Protect Oceanic Communities
-
Nation4 days ago
Family Cries Out Over Land Grabbing
-
Politics4 days ago
Wike Renames Abuja ICC After Tinubu
-
News4 days agoJune 12: DWI Warns Nigerians Against Planned Protest By Faceless Groups
-
Politics4 days ago
We’ll Count Those Who Don’t Want 2027 Elections To Count – Obi
-
Sports4 days ago
Cricket: Nigeria Face Uganda Test