Introduction: The Uncomfortable Truth “We are all criminals.” The statement sounds outrageous. It offends our moral sensibilities. It appears to insult the honest citizen, the religious devotee, the respected public servant, the loving parent, and the law-abiding professional. Yet, before dismissing it as absurd, it is worth examining what we mean by crime, criminality, conformity, and deviance. The central argument of this essay is simple, yet profoundly disturbing: the line separating the criminal from the conformist or law-abiding person is far thinner than society is willing to admit. Indeed, that line is often so thin, so fragile, and so dependent on circumstance that many of us stand on both sides of it simultaneously. To understand this, we must begin where all discussions of crime properly begin – not with the criminal, but with the law. Crime Exists Because Law Exists A crime is not merely a harmful act. It is not simply an ...
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is tasked with regulating the telecommunications sector, ensuring fair pricing, quality service, and consumer protection. Hence, among others, the NCC is to esure:
· Consumer Protection: Ensuring that mobile users receive quality service, fair pricing, and protection from exploitation by telecom providers.
· Quality of Service (QoS) Monitoring: Enforcing standards to ensure network operators provide reliable voice and data services.
· Tariff Regulation: Preventing excessive charges and ensuring competitive pricing for mobile services. (see the NCC's Consumer Protection Regulations.)
These obligations align with the NCC’s mission to create a robust, consumer-friendly, and competitive telecommunications industry in Nigeria, yet, rather than standing as a shield for the average Nigerian against exploitative mobile network providers, the NCC appears to have become a willing pawn in a grand conspiracy – one designed to bleed users dry while enriching a select few.
Service Failures: The Endless Robbery of Mobile Users
For years, Nigerians have endured substandard network services – dropped calls, poor data connections, and excessive charges for services that barely work. Complaints flood online forums, social media, and consumer rights platforms, but the NCC remains eerily silent. The Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2007 explicitly mandates that telecom operators must ensure service reliability and promptly address complaints. Yet, users continue to suffer, losing billions annually to inefficiencies and hidden charges while the NCC looks the other way.
Why? The answer is not far-fetched: "You exploit the user and give us our share of the booty." The NCC’s silence suggests that it is not merely incompetent but actively complicit in this systematic extortion.
The 50% Tariff Hike: A Conspiracy in Broad Daylight
In
January 2025, Nigerian mobile users were hit with a 50% tariff increase,
the first in over a decade. Telecom operators had lobbied for a 100% increase,
citing inflation and operational costs, but the NCC "graciously"
approved half of their demand – still an outrageous hike for citizens already
struggling with economic hardship. (Source)
The question is: if the NCC exists to protect consumers from exploitative pricing, why did it fail to shield Nigerians from this crushing burden? The answer lies in the power elite, many of whom are major stakeholders in telecom companies. These individuals, who control both the government and private industries, are deaf-eared to the cries of the masses because every extra naira squeezed from poor users funds their extravagant lifestyles – private jets, luxury mansions, and billion-dollar offshore accounts.
Silencing the Masses: The Slave Has No Say Against His Master
Nigerians,
through labour unions like the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC), immediately condemned the tariff hike as
an insensitive
and exploitative move. (Source) Protest plans were set in motion, yet the NCC, rather
than addressing the grievances of millions of Nigerians, remained mute, as though
waiting for orders from its masters.
Worse still, while implementing the hike, mobile networks silently removed customer bonuses and promotions, ensuring that Nigerians pay significantly more while getting significantly less. What was our crime? Perhaps it was daring to complain about poor services, a mistake that has now cost us dearly. (You may also want to read:THE PRICE OF FREE SPEECH IN THE TINUBU GOVERNMENT, where dissent is met with stiff punishment. )
Conclusion: A Pawn in the Hands of Shylock Leaders
The
NCC, rather than being a protector, has become an accomplice in systematic consumer
exploitation. It serves not the people but the vested interests
of political
elites and telecom moguls, ensuring that the hardworking poor toil endlessly to fatten
their pockets. The pattern is clear: extract as much wealth as
possible from struggling citizens while providing nothing in return.
If
this is not a grand conspiracy, what else could it be? The question is no
longer whether Nigerians are being exploited – it is how long they
will tolerate it before demanding accountability.
OKOM, Emmanuel Njor (PhD)
Comments
Post a Comment