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