By Students of higher institutions in Ekiti State, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), staged a peaceful protest in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday against the recent increase in telecom charges.
The students, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “MTN, Nigerian students are not your ATM” and “Enough of telecommunication hike,” marched to the MTN office in Fajuyi to register their displeasure over the tariff adjustments.
Telecom companies had raised call rates from ₦11 to ₦17.60 per minute, SMS charges from ₦4 to ₦6, and data prices by 50%, a move the protesters described as burdensome.
Speaking during the protest, Chairman of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC) in Ekiti, Femi Asaolu, lamented that the hike had made academic activities more challenging as students struggled to afford data for research and assignments. He urged telecom providers to revert to previous rates.
Another student leader, Michael Ayeni, highlighted the economic strain on parents due to rising living costs, stating that the increased telecom charges had further worsened the financial burden on students and their families.
The protesters called on the government to intervene, warning that they would intensify their demonstrations if their demands were not met.
