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Why Keep This Transient Spirit in This Perishable Frame? – A Philosophical Enquiry into Being and Nothingness

“For what is man in nature? A nothing in comparison with the infinite, a whole in comparison with the nothing, a mean between nothing and everything.”  –   Blaise Pascal, Pensées What strange defiance is this: that the soul, knowing well its fragility, clings still to life? That we, bound in bodies destined to wither, fight against the pull of the abyss? What force keeps the trembling heart beating, even when sorrow presses against the ribs like an iron band? What makes a man, weary of toil and loss, rise again with the sun, unwilling to surrender? The question – Why keep this transient spirit in this perishable frame? – is not merely a philosophical riddle but a cry from the deepest chambers of the human condition. It is the plea of every suffering soul, the whispered anguish of the broken-hearted, the silent query of the lonely and the lost. It is the question asked in hospital rooms and warzones, in sleepless nights and moments of unbearable grief. It is the unuttered...

NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST MOBILE NETWORK INTERLOCUTORS

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)

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