In the light of the unprecedented, though unavoidable, economic turmoil and hardship, the telecom service providers had been a saving grace to help ease the effect of the hardship. People moved many of their interactions and transactions online to save them from the scorching effect of skyrocketing cost of transportation. I have personally hailed the telecom sector as one of the smartest sectors in the country for choosing innovation over shooting up cost of their services, and maintaining competition rather than conspiring against consumers in engaging in the crime of price fixing. These I expressed in my article titled, “THE CRIMINALITY OF UNIONISM IN NIGERIA AND THE DISSERVICE THEREOF.” Alas, not many months after the sector has joined the band wagon in seeking to exploit the already suffering masses of this country.
It is true that the present economic realities doesn’t make it easy to maintain old prices and still have a good profit margin, however, there are other steps to take to ensure that business remain profitable without causing hardship to an already suffering masses. If old prices were maintained when the price of fuel was higher and you weathered that storm by your innovations, is it now that we are experiencing gradual reduction of prices that it is now fit to increase the cost of airtime and data?
As His Excellency, President Tinubu has done excellently well in ensuring that we have refineries running in the country and so, as a body, it would be better to work by means of dialogue to ensure that we experience a more rapid reduction of the cost of fuel to make business favourable and increase profit margin. I’m sure there are bottle necks hampering the more rapid reduction of fuel prices, please try to ensure that decision makers are engaged to resolve these issues that is preventing the common man from enjoying the dividends of Mr. President’s hard work. All hands ought to be on deck to see this happen.
Summary is as follows:
1. It is hard to understand how the sector weathered the storm at times of higher prices but somehow has increased the rates of calls and data when prices are lower.
2. Maintaining a good profit margin under the present economic realities can be challenging, but the solution is to engage decision makers to ensure prices come down at a faster rate, not in increasing the rates of your services. Stand with consumers, not against them.
Thank you for your incredible services you’ve been delivering to Nigeria over the years. You’ve been a backbone of Nigeria’s upward progress. Continue in that might. God bless you.
Moses Ayomikun Oladipupo
(Writer, Blogger, Vlogger, Concerned Nigerian)
