Dr Isa Pantami, The Minister of Communications, has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission to compel telecommunications service providers to reduce the prices of data being offered to subscribers.
He also asked the commission to put a stop to 'illegal' deduction of subscribers' data by the telcos.
Personal Assistant to the Minister on New Media, Yusuf Abubakar, who disclosed the development on Sunday, said Pantami gave the directives after he received a progress report on the implementation of Short-Term Performance Targets set for the NCC.
The minister was said to be worried that Nigerians were paying so much for data without enjoying value for money spent on data
"According to the report from a UK-based price comparison website - Cable, Nigeria is not among the top 10 African countries with low average price of data, a position the Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Pantami, finds worrisome considering the fact that the country has over 174 million internet users made public by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
"The minister also finds it unacceptable that with the prevailing high cost of data in Nigeria, the citizens still do not enjoy value for money as subscribers battle daily with illegal deduction of data, poor quality of service, among others.
