Nigerians have expressed outrage over the recent price hike by MTN Nigeria, which increased the cost of its 15GB weekly data plan from N2,000 to N6,000.
Under the new pricing structure, subscribers now have to pay significantly more for internet access, sparking widespread backlash. Many Nigerians have taken to social media to criticize the affordability of telecom services in the country, especially given the current economic hardships.
The price adjustment follows the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s recent approval for telecom operators to increase tariffs by up to 50%, citing rising operational costs as the main reason. However, the move has been met with strong public criticism, as citizens struggle with high inflation, fuel subsidy removal, and overall economic instability.
Consumers fear that the hike in data prices will worsen digital accessibility, affecting businesses, students, and remote workers who rely on affordable internet services.
Reacting to the development, an X user, simply identified as @Khanstillday, wrote, “I think it’s high time we boycotted MTN. Their network is terrible, and their data plans are a rip-off. The 15GB package doesn’t even last three days. During the protest, they deliberately sabotaged their own network to prevent it from happening.”
Another Nigerian user on X, @Atandalukman_, wrote, “300% increase is a lot fr. I will take it as a glitch for now sha cos wtf?”
However, not everyone blames MTN for the increase. @neefenawti argued that the network providers, including MTN Nigeria, could not be blamed for the development, pointing to President Bola Tinubu’s stance on price regulation. He wrote, “I won’t even blame MTN. In a country where the president said he does not believe in price control, what do you expect will happen? The government is out there to watch people plunge further into poverty. They want to reduce the public’s purchasing power so you will not have the means to fight back against a government that puts people in sufferness. We just dey start.”
@Ola___ife lamented the impact on users with smaller data plans, saying, “So no hope for us wey dey do 2.5GB.” Meanwhile, @Palermo_seun questioned the Telco for increasing the plan by 300%, stating, “This is too much now.”
For @Dansuki1122, the recent development from MTN and possibly other telecom providers will have an adverse effect on remote workers in the country. He wrote, “How will remote workers survive now? How will Nigerian creators who pay for X sub and still subscribe MTN and later get peanut survive?”
Meanwhile, MTN Nigeria and other telecom providers had earlier argued that the increase is necessary to sustain infrastructure and service quality. However, many Nigerians believe the tariff adjustment is excessive and poorly timed.
MTN Nigeria’s CEO, Karl Toriola, had last year warned about potential tariff hikes, stating, “There should be no delusion; if the tariff doesn’t go up, we will shut down.”
Despite the justification from telecom operators, many Nigerians remain unconvinced, with increasing calls for regulatory intervention to prevent further price surges in the telecom sector.
