News
Strike: ICT Users Groan
The suspended mother of all strikes embarked upon by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to protest the hike in the pump price of petrol, took a toll on ICT services across the country, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can reveal.
The six-day strike action brought to halt economic activities and grounded many inactive as shops and offices were under lock and key.
Official statistics are hard to come by but the losses in manhours, opportunities and businesses can best be imagined.
Lanre Ajayi, managing director, Pinet Informatics said the strike impacted not just the ICT industry but businesses in general, adding that “it is when you have other businesses running that they can effectively use ICT services”.
Ajayi, noted that the level of utilization of services dropped due to the shutdown of business like banks and other businesses that make use of ICT services.
Despite the shut down of businesses, he said people were still able to make use of their phones in sending text messages, making and receiving calls and also surfing the internet.
Engineer Bayo Banjo, president of the Nigerian Internet Group, downtime experienced during the six-day strike was infrastructure dependent.
He explained that some areas had bad services due to the nefarious activities of vandals who vandalized cell sites during the strike.
According to him, this is not the first time cell sites are being vandalized and explained that areas boys in some parts of the country thought it wise to destroy cell sites as a way of expressing their grievances to the hike in price of petrol.
“By and large, various sites were vandalized, area boys also stopped delivery of diesel to cell sites which resulted in downtime in some parts of the country,” Banjo noted.
Though there were mixed bag of reports from different parts of the country, he said Lagos experienced little downtime.
Anu Ayoola, a travel agent executive whose job it is to make flight bookings and hotel reservations told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that she was unable to check available seats online, let alone make bookings as a result of downtime.
Odunayo Samuel, a student who had her PUK blocked lamented her plight while trying to get across to her operator’s service centre to get her phone unlocked.
She said effort to get through to customer care proved futile, rendering her incommunicado for days.
A customer care centre executive of one of the telcos who does not want his name in print explained that customer care also went on strike due to the strike as they were instructed not to report for duty until after the strike. As a result, he said customers could not have their needs met while the strike lasted.
British High Commission in Nigeria has reiterated the strong, long-standing relationship between the United Kingdom and Nigeria following the release of the UK Immigration White Paper earlier today.
A spokesperson for the High Commission stated that the UK remains a top destination for Nigerians seeking opportunities to work, study, visit, and settle, acknowledging the valuable contributions Nigerians make to the UK economy and society.
The White Paper outlines reforms to legal migration, aimed at restoring order, control, and fairness to the system while promoting economic growth.
The spokesperson assured that changes would be gradual, with further engagement between the UK and Nigerian government officials once implementation details are finalized.
“The UK has a proud tradition as an outward-looking nation, investing and trading abroad, and welcoming the creativity, ideas, and diversity of those who come to contribute here,” the spokesperson said.
The UK government has pledged to work closely with Nigerian authorities to ensure a smooth transition as the new immigration policies take effect
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed nine electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to compensate Band A customers residing in 557 streets across their franchise areas for failing to meet the minimum power supply requirement under the new electricity tariff regime.
According to NERC, the affected DisCos must implement compensation across 152 electricity feeders due to poor supply in April.
The compensation will be provided through electricity credit or improved power supply, as outlined in the April 2025 Multi-Year Tariff Order.
The directive affects the following DisCos:
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC)
Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC)
Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED)
Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO)
Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO)
Ikeja Electric (IE)
Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC)
Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC)
Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC)
The development follows a tariff hike of over 300% for Band A customers in 2024, which mandated a minimum daily power supply of 20 hours. Despite the increase, many consumers have continued to report poor service delivery, leading to the latest compensation directive.
NERC stated that affected DisCos must upgrade power supply in designated areas or provide electricity credits to customers who experienced service failures.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately disclose whether it has commenced the direct disbursement of allocations to the 774 local government areas in Nigeria, following the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment nullifying state governors’ control over LGA funds.
In a letter dated 10 May 2025 obtained by our correspondent, addressed to the CBN Governor, Mr Olayemi Cardoso, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group also demanded that the bank “widely publish the amounts, if any, so far sent directly to each of the local governments” and provide a detailed explanation of any payments already made—particularly to LGAs in Rivers State.
The group stated: “We are writing to request you to use your good offices and leadership position to immediately disclose whether the CBN has commenced the direct disbursement of allocations to the 774 local government councils in Nigeria from the Federation Accounts with the CBN, and to widely publish the amounts, if any, so far sent to each of the local governments.”
This request follows a Supreme Court judgment declaring the practice by governors and the FCT Minister of retaining and disbursing LGA allocations unconstitutional and unlawful.
The court ruled that no governor or agency has the authority to interfere with allocations meant for LGAs from the Federation Account.
Citing this judgment, SERAP argued: “Local government councils are entitled to a direct payment from the Federation Account of the amount standing to their credit in the said Federation Account. States should not be collecting, receiving, spending or tampering with the local government council funds from the Federation Account meant for the benefit of the councils.”
The advocacy group expressed concern that despite the ruling, many state governors have continued to “starve local governments of funds and put them in peril,” thereby undermining their autonomy and capacity to function as the third tier of government.
In the letter, the group warned that if the CBN fails to act within seven days, it would take legal action.
“If we have not heard from you by then, the Incorporated Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the CBN to comply with our request in the public interest,” the letter stated.
SERAP referenced a past revelation by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who in December 2022 described how governors allegedly short-changed LGA chairmen.
“If the money from the Federation Account to the state is about N100 million, N50 million will be sent to the chairman, but he will sign that he received N100 million. The chairman will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with,” Buhari had said.
The organisation argued that the CBN has a constitutional and statutory obligation to protect the financial interests of all tiers of government.
“The CBN ought to act in the public interest to protect the allocations in the Federation Account and the public funds disbursed from that Account directly to each of the constitutionally recognised three tiers of government,” it said.
Highlighting the March 2025 revenue distribution by the Federation Account Allocation Committee, SERAP noted that a total of N1.578 trillion was shared among the three tiers of government. It queried whether the LGAs had received their fair share directly, as mandated by the court ruling.
“Ensuring that all restrictions against direct disbursement of allocations from the Federation Account to the 774 councils are lifted will comply with the orders by the Supreme Court and stop states and the FCT from tampering with the allocations ahead of the 2027 general elections,” SERAP warned.
The group further argued that Nigerians have a legal and moral right to know how their money is being managed, referencing several legal frameworks, including the Nigerian Constitution, the Freedom of Information Act, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“The public interest in publishing the information sought outweighs any considerations to withhold the information. Nigerians are entitled to the right to receive information without any interference or distortion, and the enjoyment of this right should be based on the principle of maximum disclosure,” SERAP stated.
The group also reminded the CBN that “the Freedom of Information Act is applicable and applies to public records in the Federation, including those kept by the CBN.”
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