Senate did not okay data price hike

The Senate, Tuesday, refuted claims in some national dailies alleging that it gave its nod to the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and telecommunication service providers to increase the data tariff which was suspended following public outcry

This was made available by Chief Kayode Odunaro, the Media Adviser to the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Solomon Adeola, on Tuesday. It said, there is no truth in the story as the opposite is the case.

“Our attention has been drawn to a publication with the misleading title “ Senate Okays Data Price Hike, says NCC Acted in national Interest” in a national daily insinuating that the Senate through its Committee on Communications sanctioned data price increase by telecommunications service providers during an oversight visit to the Nigerian Communication Commission.”

“There is no iota of truth in the misleading title as the contrary is the case from what the Vice chairman of the Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola said in his presentation during the briefing by NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Umaru Dambatta.”

“Senator Adeola while commending the NCC for its achievements in recent times stated that the action it took in suspending the proposed data hike following public outcry was in the national and peoples’ interest stressing that their prompt responses to Senate inquiries on the matter and other related issues and a promise to undertake further scientific study on the data hike issue was commendable.”
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As can be seen from the body of the story, nowhere did the senator ‘okays’ the regulatory agency’s recommended “price floor” which was the issue that gave rise to the proposed data price hike that has since been suspended.”