Category: General News

 

– As NAFDAC Launches -;Catch them young” sensitisation campaign in Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School in Yaba, Lagos

 

By Biola Lawal

Lagos (Flowerbudnews):  NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye has intensified the Agency’s campaign against drug abuse among youths, declaring it as an effort to safeguard the future of Nigeria.

Flowerbudnews reports that Prof. Adeyeye made the declaration in Lagos at the launch of the NAFDAC Catch Them Young Programme at the Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School in Yaba, Lagos.

Prof. Adeyeye said that the  NAFDAC Catch Them Young Programme ‘:is a comprehensive and coordinated intensive programme focused on secondary schools, designed to reduce the prevalence of drug abuse amongst secondary school students.”

The NAFDAC Boss, who was represented by Mrs Yedunni Adenuga, Director Narcotics and Control substances, stated further that the “NAFDAC- Catch them Young” programme was focused on drug abuse education and awareness campaign on the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria.

”This is extremely important because of the segment of the nation that is most affected – the youths, and by extension, our teenagers,” She said

Prof Adeyeye said that ”NAFDAC as part of her mandate, seeks to collaborate with stakeholders on Drug Reduction Demand programmes, such as drug abuse campaign to secondary schools to check the menace of drug abuse among young Nigerians.”

She disclose that ”it is estimated that 14.4 per cent or 14.3 million Nigerians are victims of drug abuse. This is alarming!
Research findings show that one out of every four high risk drug users have been arrested for drug related offences, including possession (73%), theft (12 %), sex work (five %), burglary (four %), and shop lifting (two %).

”Note that this data only shows the number of arrests. If we consider that most crimes go unreported, then, we will see that we have a huge problem on our hands.

Two thirds of people who abuse drugs report having serious problems as a result. These problems include, missing school or work, doing poor jobs at work or school and even neglecting their family or children.

These show us the bane of our society and why we must do all we can to protect our nation”

Drug addiction can arise from both legal such as prescribed medicines and illicit drugs. This programme is not designed to scare anyone, but to have honest conversations with you. This will help you to take informed decisions with regards to illicit drug use including alcohol consumption, She explained.

”What are controlled drugs or medicines?
A medicine or medicinal substance that is strictly controlled by the government because it may be abused or cause addiction.

”The control applies to the way the substance is made, used, handled stored and distributed. The policy thrust of NAFDAC is to ensure availability of controlled medicines for licit use, while preventing diversion to non-medical and illicit use.

”Controlled drugs for medical and scientific purpose; When a drug is used/prescribed for medical purpose at the lowest risk of abuse or when a controlled drug is required for research purposes,” Prof. Adeyeye stated.

You have the right to ask questions about any drug prescribed for you.
What is diversion?

Drug diversion is a medical and legal concept involving the transfer of drugs from their original licit medical purpose to illicit channels.

Prof. Adeyeye stated further:

What is drug abuse?
Excessive use of psychoactive drugs, such as alcohol, pain medications or illegal drugs. It can lead to physical, social or emotional harm. Every victim of drug abuse belongs to a family and every family belongs to a community of households.

A recent household drug use survey revealed that prescription drug abuse is a fast-emerging public health problem that has led to increasing poly-drug use amongst drug dependent persons.

It is undermining all efforts to deepen socio-economic development and is associated with crime and lawlessness.

So many medicines, including antibiotics, tramadol, and some others are bought without the doctor’s prescription.

Drugs commonly abused by young people
Substances that youths and teens may use include those that are legal for adults, such as alcohol or tobacco since they are readily available. So many medicines, including antibiotics, tramadol, and many others are bought without the doctor’s prescription.

Teens may order substances online that promise to help in sports competition or promote weight loss. In some cases, products common in homes and that have certain chemicals are inhaled for intoxication.

At the very extreme end of the drug abuse spectrum, teens may also use illicit drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine.
What are the consequences of drug abuse?

Negative consequences of teen drug abuse might include (but not limited to):
• Drug dependence. Some teens who misuse drugs are at increased risk of substance use disorder.

• Poor judgment. Teenage drug use is associated with poor judgment in social and personal interactions.
• Sexual activity. Drug use is associated with high-risk sexual behaviour, unsafe sex and unplanned pregnancy.

• Mental health disorders. Drug use can complicate or increase the risk of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety

• Impaired driving. Driving under the influence of any drug affects driving skills. It puts the driver, passengers and others on the road at risk.

• Changes in school performance. Substance use can result in bad grades because of low attendance in school.
Health Consequences of drug abuse
• Drug addiction, serious impairment, illness and death.

• Risk of damage to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys from long-term use.
• Risk of impairment in memory, learning, problem-solving and concentration; risk of psychosis, such as schizophrenia, hallucination or paranoia,

Aside from the destruction of the family, the workforce, the gratification or satisfaction that a person may get from abuse of drugs such as tramadol or codeine is short-lived.

There is PAY DAY SOME DAY. This comes in form of the dangerous effects on the body. Tramadol-use disorder is associated with physical withdrawal symptoms and compulsive behaviour.

How can you avoid drug abuse?
• Resist peer pressure
• Abstain from Drug abuse
• Seek professional help
• Develop a hobby or talent
• Take only prescribed medication
• Concentrate more on your studies.
• Be content with what you have
• Don’t experiment with hard drugs!

Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol is the most widely used drug by adolescents regardless of ethnicity, gender or race. Alcoholism is a chronic illness with an insidious onset which may occur at any age and adolescent’s drinking behaviour has been the vital social issues in several countries.

Alcoholism is a popular term for alcohol use disorders including alcohol dependence. It is a condition characterized by a pathologic pattern of alcohol use causing serious impairment in physical, emotional, social or occupational functioning.

You as adolescents are at a critical stage of development and many young people begin to experiment with alcohol. The alcohol-related issues among adolescents who consume alcohol are drop-outs, academic failures, involvement with legal issues, using obscene words and several other vices.

Health related problems like poor nutrition, memory disorders, liver disease, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, heart rhythm disturbances, anaemia, low blood sugar and weakened bones.

You must develop alcohol drinking refusal skills because of the consequences of alcoholism. Alcohol is very common in our community where they are freely sold in sachets and small volume bottles.

These are very dangerous for adolescents like you, and you must learn to resist the urge to engage in alcohol drinking. Once you start, you may not be able to stop.
We do not get to choose who our parents are or the circumstances of our birth, but you can choose to be the best version of yourself by the choices you make.

It is high time you as young Nigerians realise that this epidemic of drug, including alcohol abuse is destroying families, the workforce, and destabilizing our economy. All these pose a great threat to the future of good governance in Nigeria.

If you are being corrected for misbehaviour, do not ignore it by being defensive; think about it and make a behavioural change.

Peer Pressure
Peer pressure is the influence of one’s peer group. You want to do something because you want to feel accepted and valued by your friends. This is a huge reason why adolescents do drugs.

Once someone does a drug once, they can become hooked. The bad influence on your mind and body is permanent, and it is not something you can easily quit. It is high time we started talking about taking care of our bodies to ensure that drug abuse that will destroy lives is avoided.

The Role of Teachers
Our teachers have great roles to play in the fight against drug abuse because they spend a considerable amount of time with the students. I enjoin teachers to continue to work with parents or guardians of the youths to point out when they observe behavioural problems in a child and to count their work as part of building the society.

Teachers should not be judgemental but should create an enabling environment for students to ask questions. Emphasize that drug use is dangerous but that doesn’t mean your student is a bad person.

If you do not have the answer to a question, please be honest about it and seek appropriate support from those who have the knowledge. Do not stigmatise any student using drugs but offer non-judgemental support.

Why was NAFDAC Established?
Without proper regulation, people are bound to bring in a lot of junk products into the Nigerian market all in the name of food and drug products. This will cause a lot of damage to the health of the residents of Nigeria who would ultimately buy and consume these products.

NAFDAC Consumer Safety Club (NCSC)
NAFDAC Consumer Safety Club (NCSC) is one of the agency’s special public enlightenment strategies targeting the youths in the society in its efforts to eradicate fake/substandard regulated products and enthrone a quality culture, while employing the use of cutting-edge technology to track counterfeiters.

NAFDAC has taken the campaign against drug abuse to the grass roots by re-establishing NCSC in secondary schools where we will in collaboration with the schoolteachers work with junior and senior secondary school students to catch them young and prevent lives of addiction and destruction.

We enjoin you all to be agents of change by propagating the right virtues that can lead to behavioural change.
We deem it expedient to immunize our society against counterfeits by re-orientating our youths through the activities of NCSC.

You are urged to use your membership of NAFDAC of NCSC to assist in information flow on NAFDAC regulatory activities and promote the fight against drug abuse, fake and counterfeit regulated products. NAFDAC’s mission is to mould a future generation that is not only empowered to be upright, but demand uprightness from others.

The reality is that the fight against drug abuse is a fight for the future of Nigeria. May God protect Nigeria and may God bless us all.

 

By Flowerbud News

Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun, on Thursday, raised alarm of an alleged plot by some people to attack local government secretariats in the state

A statement in Osogbo by Malam Olawale Rasheed, quoted Adeleke as saying he had received credible reports of the plan to also attack leaders of the Peoples Democratict Party (PDP) and top government officials in the state.

According to the governor, the alleged plot is designed to disrupt the forthcoming local government elections and create an atmosphere of chaos to push for the declaration of a state of emergency.

Adeleke, however, said that anybody apprehended in connection with the alleged plot would face the full wrath of the law.

The governor, who described Osun as one of the most peaceful states in the country, decried the reprehensible desperation by some politicians in the opposition.

“I have issued stern directives to the security agencies to secure the state and apprehend any trouble maker.

“There is no legal basis for any plot to take over the local government system in Osun state.

” Elections to fill the offices of chairmen and councilors are scheduled for Feb. 22.

“Anybody who tests our resolve to sustain law and order in Osun state will have himself to blame.

” As the Chief Security Officer of the state, I am determined to deploy all available machinery of the state to maintain peace and punish trouble makers.

“I also call on citizens and residents of the state to go about their normal activities without fear of intimidation.

“The government is on top of the situation.

“We are resolved to keep the state and the streets safe from anti-democratic elements”, he said.

Adeleke also said that there was no court judgement stopping the forthcoming local government election, adding that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) should stop false narratives and face the election.

The governor further said that the judgment of a Court of Appeal in Akure was about the filing of court processes by  PDP.

Adeleke added  said that the judgement had nothing to do with the subsisting judgment that sacked the “illegally elected council chairmen and councilors of the APC.”

NAN

 

By Flowerbudnews
The Royal Ambassadors Family Enlightenment Foundation (RAFEF), an NGO, says it has acquired 150,000 hectares of farmland for agricultural revolution meant to see youths, women and civil servants nationwide return to farm.

The National President of RAFEF, Amb Jonathan David Okwudiri, disclosed this on Thursday in a press briefing on RAFEF National Agricultural Revolution.

Okwudiri noted that the organisation had successfully registered the Royal Ambassadors Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Limited in major states across six regions of Nigeria; for its membership base of one million members in the 774 Local Government Areas in the 36 States and the FCT.

He disclosed that RAFEF acquired the over 150,000 hectares of farmland across various geo-political zones; within five states in Nigeria, which included: Enugu, Anambra, Delta and Imo and FCT Abuja.

According to him, RAFEF has also launched Operation Feed Nation, aimed at reducing hunger, hardship, and poverty in Nigeria through sustainable agricultural farming and food security.

He said, “This year, 2025, and beyond, Sustainable Agricultural Farming and Food Security remain our organization’s top priority.

“To achieve this, we are seeking funding from agencies and financial institutions, both nationally and internationally, to partner with us in cultivating the 150,000 hectares of land in mechanized agricultural farming.

“This initiative will not only reduce unemployment in Nigeria but also provide employment opportunities for over 500 people in the Farm Settlement. Furthermore, it will drastically reduce hardship and hunger in the land to their nearest minimum.

“As we look to the future, we are seeking partnerships and sponsorships to support our initiatives.

“We are calling on the Presidency, National Assembly, Federal and State Ministries, Corporate Organizations, Philanthropists, Donors, and International Funding Agencies to partner with us.”

Okwudiri, who is also the Founder of Green Revolution Farmers Feed the Nation Foundation (GRFFNF), appreciated President Bola Tinubu, for his visionary Renewed Hope Agenda, which aligns with his organization’s mission to empower women, youth and promote sustainable agriculture.

“We commend His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s efforts to reposition Nigeria as a prime global investment destination and pledge our unwavering support for policies geared towards making Nigeria a haven on earth,” he said.

He said that RAFEF membership strength had grown to over one million people, comprising women and youths from the 774 Local Government Areas across the 36 states of Nigeria, including the FCT Abuja.

Okwudiri, who doubles as the Director General of Young Women Rise Empowerment Initiative (YWREF), said, “We are also seeking support to empower 1,000 women and youth with tools, materials, and equipment to commence operations in their businesses.

“Furthermore, we are seeking partnerships to purchase equipment and materials, including laptops, generators, photocopying machines, scanners, desktops, and computers, as well as agricultural farming seedlings, tools and equipment.

“We believe that our initiatives align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).”

The RAFEF national president also said that the NGO was seeking financial assistance to host the five-Day Royal Ambassadors Gathering Week Abuja 2025, themed “Building Global Partnership for Sustainable Impact, Innovations, and Development.”

He noted that the “Prestigious International Conference” would be held at Maryam Babangida National Center for Women Development, Abuja.

It would be recalled that over the past year, the organization had successfully trained over 1,000 women and youths (Persons with Disability Inclusive) in various skills acquisition programmes.

It had provided scholarships to nine students, and school gift items to over 200 students in a government secondary school in Aba, Abia State.

 

RAFEF also trained 15 youths in talent hunts and capacity development, registered business names for seven women and youths, and established them as independent entrepreneurs.

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday, opened its defence at the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja calling four witnesses.

Some of the witnesses, who gave evidence before the Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member panel, agreed that incidents of over-voting were recorded in some polling units in the Local Government where they monitored the poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had closed its own defence of the governorship poll without producing any witness to testify before the tribunal.

INEC tendered before the tribunal, a total of 153 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVA) machines that were used in the 133 polling units where results of the election are disputed.

The electoral body equally tendered in evidence, a certified copy of result of the governorship election.

The commission had declared that Monday Okpebholo of the APC secured a total of 291, 667 votes to defeat his closet rivalry, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got a total of 247, 655 votes.

Aggrieved by the outcome of the poll, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, praying it to nullify INEC’s declaration of the APC and Okpebholo as winners of the contest.

The petitioners, among other things, contended that the governorship election was invalid by reason of alleged non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.

They equally argued in the petition marked: EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, that Gov. Okpebholo of the APC did not secure the highest number of lawful votes that were cast at the election.

The petitioners had closed their case after calling 19 witnesses that testified and tendered several documents to prove their case.

Governor Okpebholo, who is the 2nd respondent in the petition, called a lone witness that testified on his behalf.

Meanwhile, the four witnesses called by the APC, the 3rd respondent, included those that served as APC’ Local Government Collation Agents, during the disputed election.

Led in evidence by Echezona Etiaba, SAN, the 1st witness, Afuda Theophilus Idemudia, a 54yrs businessman and resident of Benin City, said he monitored the election in Esan North East Local Government Area.

Idemudia identified his statement on oath, and told the tribunal that result of the election from Esan North East was signed by the agent of the PDP.

He confirmed to the tribunal that under Exhibit PCB-40, titled: Ballot Paper and Verification Statement, the Part A of the document was expected to be completed by an official of INEC before the opening of poll, while Part B was to be completed after the close of poll.

The witness noted that Page 6 of the Exhibit PCB-40 relates to Esan North East LGA, adding that it was indicated that the document was for governorship election.

He added that under Part A of the Exhibit, the first item required the serial number of the Ballot Papers that were issued to the polling units.

When handed a copy of the document to confirm, the witness, said: “Yes, I can see serial numbers recorded on this document. They are: 0459785 and 0460292.”

He maintained that serial numbers of Ballot Papers issued to the respective polling units were filled.

Under cross examination by lawyer to the petitioners, Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, the witness admitted that there was an incident of over-voting in one of polling units in the LG.

When shown a copy of the result sheets, the witness confirmed that the total number of accredited voters in Unit 11, Ward 6, was 96.

He admitted that after the election, it was recorded that APC got 53 votes, PDP 43 and one rejected vote.

Upon a request by Owonikoko, the witness calculate the votes and told the tribunal that it amounted to 97 as against 96 persons that were accredited to vote at the polling unit.

He subsequently agreed that there was over-voting in the polling unit. He proceeded to say because of the development, the result was cancelled.

The 2nd witness, Kamarudeen Coker Bello, also 54 years, said he a businessman and lives in Ighara, Edo State.

He said he served as a Local Government agent of the APC in Akoko Edo LGA during the election.

The witness confirmed signing a written statement on oath before the tribunal on November 9, 2024, which he adopted on Tuesday, while being led by Etiaba.

Under cross examination by Owonikoko the witness confirmed that the petitioners raised allegations of over-voting in 17 polling units in the LGA in the petition.

The 3rd witness identified himself as Engr. Gabriel Iduseri and said he acted as APC’s Collation Agent for Oredo LGA.

Iduseri claimed that there was no complaint about the conduct of the election by agents of any of the political parties that participated in the contest.

The witness admitted that result from polling Unit 8, Ward 10, was cancelled at the Ward Collation Center due to over-voting.

The witness told the tribunal that it was the responsibility of the electoral officers to confirm the correctness or otherwise of results submitted at the LGA level.

When asked if he was aware that in the petition, there was a table of 53 and 66 polling units in Oredo LGA, where petitioners alleged that INEC recorded the results incorrectly, the witness replied that though he read the petition, he could not recall the number of the disputed polling units.

The 4th witness, Hon. Frank David, said he served as APC Collation Agent for Owan West LGA and that INEC officials diligently collated all the results from the polling units, saying neither himself nor any other agent raised any issue about the final result.

David said himself, the PDP and Labour Party (LP) agents signed result sheets of the election.

While being cross-examined, David said although he was aware that INEC officials ought to fill details of sensitive materials handed to them for the poll, he could not confirm if the procedure was followed since he did not serve as an official of INEC during the election.

When handed IReV report of Form EC8A of Ward 4 Unit 19, the witness confirmed that although only 36 persons were accredited, votes recorded for the unit were; 28, 1 and 8, amounting to 37.

He was also handed another exhibit containing the result from Ward 8, Unit 8 and he confirmed that the votes were; 54 and 25, amounting to 79, while 1 was marked as rejected vote, making it a total of 80 votes.

The witness claimed that result of the election from Unit 5 was not accounted for as they were cancelled owing to over-voting.

At the conclusion of David’s testimony, the lead lawyer to the APC, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, announced that his client was preparing a schedule of documents it would tender when the proceedings resume.

The tribunal subsequently adjourned till Thursday.

 

 

By – Lawal Sale

“There is no better mirror than a best friend,” says an African proverb.

From all indications, the axiom appears quite apt while assessing the current state of Nigeria-China relations, which have spanned over five decades.

This is because the bilateral relations existing between Nigeria and People’s Republic of China, which began after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations in February 1971, have significantly flourished to a level that culminated in the attainment of a Strategic Partnership in 2005; lately upgraded into a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.

It is pertinent to note that in September 2023 — on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing – Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, signed the joint statement on the ratification of the partnership upgrade.

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, who also witnessed the event in Beijing, said that the upgrade of the Nigeria-China relations to the “Comprehensive” level represented a boost to the decades-long bilateral relations between the two countries, which have entered a “New Era”.

It will be recalled that at the FOCAC summit in Beijing, President Tinubu and President Xi issued a joint statement, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and People’s Republic of China, regarding the building a high-level China-Nigeria community with a shared future.

The joint statement particularly covered and focused on four aspects — high-level strategic mutual trust, high-level development cooperation, high-level mutual assistance and high-level mutual understanding – which underscored the essence of establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership, while mapping out the blueprint for the future development of Nigeria-China relations in the new era.

The validation of the new era strategic partnership between the two sides entailed the adoption of 13 cooperation documents, covering areas such as high-quality Belt and Road Initiative cooperation and planning, the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, economic growth, human resources, application of the Beiduo Satellite Navigation System, export of peanuts to China and media exchanges.

In addition to the 13 cooperation documents, one particular aspect of the partnership entails about 19 projects, which Nigeria and China are jointly executing.Shortly after his return from the FOCAC summit in Beijing, President Tinubu adopted a proactive approach to ensure that the cooperation agreements, which were signed, were duly implemented.

Accordingly, President Tinubu approved the establishment of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) and appointed Mr. Joseph Tegbe, as its Global Liaison and Director-General, with a mandate of overseeing the implementation of the signed agreements through engagement with the Chinese counterparts, while ensuring the alignment of all deliverables with national development goals.

In addition, in the strategic plan, the NCSP is expected to outline specific deliverables, timeliness and key performance indicators for each area of cooperation, including priority projects, projected investments and expected socio-economic outcomes.

Tegbe, the Director-General of NCSP, who spoke on his assignment in a recent interview with a Chinese media outfit in Beijing, emphasized that there were 54 programmes and projects that were approved in the MOUs which were signed between the two countries.

He added that these encompassed projects in infrastructure, agriculture, health care, education, mining, manufacturing and technology sectors, among others. He underscored the wisdom in creating the NCSP office to coordinate and ensure the proper implementation of the projects and programmes, recalling that in the past when such partnerships were created, the perceptible lacuna was the absence of a central point for their coordination.

Tegbe, reiterated that his central role was to ensure the coordination of all NCSP projects and programmes, while overseeing their hitch-free implementation.

He emphasized that his secondary role as the D-G of NCSP was to ensure that the business and economic relations between Nigeria and China were properly evaluated and monitored, so as to ensure value for money and promote a win-win relationship between the two countries.

As the Nigeria-China relations continue to grow and flourish over the years, observers note that landmark achievements have been recorded in the execution of several projects, which are either ongoing or completed.

They point at the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line, Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail line, rehabilitation of six airport terminals rehabilitation, Lekki Deep Seaport, Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi expressway, Abuja rail mass transit and Lagos rail mass transit as accomplishments.

Other feats are recorded in infrastructure development, agro-industry, education, technology transfer, healthcare and telecommunication, among other development projects, they add.

All in all, analysts have expressed optimism that the mutual bond between Nigeria and China will continue to flourish via the pragmatic adoption of mutually beneficial practices that are based on inclusiveness, equal opportunities, people-to-people engagements and mutual respect for one another; all in the face of the diversity of cultures and political systems.

Obviously, there exists a new epoch in Nigeria-China relations that would be mutually beneficial to the two nations, under the aegis of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

— Sale is an Abuja-based Global Affairs Analyst (lawalmaida1@yahoo.com)

 

The company confirmed the increase in a statement it released online.

MTN Nigeria has officially increased its data tariff by 200%.

The confirmation was given in a statement on the company’s X page.

The company wrote: “Y’ello! Thanks for stopping by, We apologise for any inconvenience and delayed Response. A price increase has been implemented to enhance our services and serve you better, which is why you are seeing the updated amount.”

This is coming after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved a tariff increase for telecommunications companies, citing prevailing market conditions.

Reuben Mouka, the commission’s spokesperson, announced the decision shared in January, explaining that the approval aligns with the NCC’s regulatory powers under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

According to Mouka, the adjustment allows a maximum increase of 50 per cent on current tariffs, a compromise from the over 100 per cent hike initially requested by some network operators.

“The adjustment, capped at a maximum of 50 per cent of current tariffs, though lower than the over 100 per cent requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability,” Mouka stated.

In compliance with this approval, SaharaReporters observed that MTN has increased the cost of data bundles by about 200%.

According to the new pricing structure, the 15GB data bundle, which previously cost N2,000, now costs N6,000. Similarly, the 1.5TB plan has increased from N150,000 to N240,000.

Other affected plans include; the 100GB bundle, which now costs N25,000 for 90GB, up from the previous price of N20,000 for 100GB. The 600GB bundle has also increased from N75,000 to N120,000 for 480GB.

The price hike has sparked concerns among subscribers, who are already grappling with the economic challenges in the country.

Many have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the new prices, calling on the company to reconsider the increase.

An X user, Khan wrote: “I think it’s high time we boycotted MTN. Their network is terrible, and their data plans are a rip-off. the 15GB package doesn’t even last three days. During the protest, they deliberately sabotaged their own network to prevent it from happening.”

Another user, Silva wrote: “Nigeria is a very difficult place to live in honestly. MTN waking up one day to increase their weekly 15gb data from 2k to 6k without prior warning is textbook insanity. That’s 24k in a month, almost the minimum wage of the country on data, bruh, this is hell.”