The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over a 50 percent increase in telecom tariffs. SERAP describes the hike as “arbitrary, unconstitutional, unlawful, unfair, and unreasonable.”
The NCC, which authorized the tariff increase, is also named as a defendant in the suit. The price adjustments will see the average cost of a call rise from N11 to N16.5 per minute. The price of 1GB of data will increase from N287.5 to N431.25, while SMS costs will go from N4 to N6.
The lawsuit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/111/2025, was submitted last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja. SERAP is seeking the court’s ruling on whether the NCC’s decision to approve the 50 percent hike aligns with constitutional provisions and international standards protecting citizens’ freedom of expression and access to information.
The organization is also requesting the court to declare the NCC’s actions as inconsistent with these rights and, therefore, unconstitutional. SERAP argues that such a unilateral decision violates the principle of fairness and reasonableness expected in the exercise of NCC’s statutory powers.
Additionally, SERAP has applied for an interim injunction to prevent the NCC and its agents from implementing the new tariffs further. The group contends that the NCC’s decision failed to follow due process and did not consider the legal obligations regarding consumers’ rights and the freedom of expression guaranteed under Nigerian law and international agreements.
In its suit, filed by lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, SERAP asserts that the NCC is obligated to base its decisions on reasonable interpretations of its enabling laws and guidelines. SERAP stresses that the increase disregards these requirements and imposes an unjust burden on citizens.
