The Senate has urged the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy to engage telecom operators in reviewing data and internet service costs.
This follows a motion by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) on the urgent need to address rising data prices.
Lawmakers largely supported the motion, highlighting concerns over affordability and digital access in Nigeria.
On February 11, telecom giants MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile raised data and airtime prices with approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission, citing rising operational costs.
Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong criticized the over 200% increase, arguing that it imposes a heavy financial burden on millions of Nigerians, especially young people who rely on the internet for their livelihood.
The Senate also urged the ministry to develop a policy framework for affordable internet services in Nigeria.
Additionally, it called on the government to establish and support tech hubs nationwide, offering free or subsidized internet access to young entrepreneurs, students, and innovators.
The motion partly read, “The Senate notes that young Nigerians have embraced the digital economy, leveraging the internet for various income-generating activities, including e-commerce and online trading software development, web design, and mobile app creation, content creation on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, online education and professional skill development and cryptocurrency trading.
“Concerned that fibre-optic internet services remain unaffordable for the average young Nigerian, leaving them heavily dependent on mobile telecommunications companies for internet access, and the sudden substantial increase in data costs threatens their economic survival and limits access to critical digital services.
“Aware that the high cost of doing business in Nigeria is driven by multiple challenges, bottlenecks that slow down business operations and high cost of diesel, (the Senate) believes that urgent government intervention is required to ensure affordable internet access remains available to Nigerians, particularly the youth, who are the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy.”
The motion received unanimous support from senators during the plenary, which was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
