By Muhammad Abubakar
The Federal Government has removed the 5% excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria.
The tax, introduced under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was to be applied on both voice and data services. It drew strong opposition from telecom operators and consumer groups.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered its removal during discussions on the recently passed Finance Act.
The decision is expected to provide relief to over 171 million active telecom subscribers, who have also faced a 50 per cent tariff increase earlier this year.