The minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani has explained why the Federal Government approved a 50 per cent hike in telecommunication tariffs across the country.

Speaking with journalists on Wednesday at the State House, Tijani said without the hike in telecoms tariff, companies would collapse.

According to him, once the telecom companies collapse, the ripple effect would be the loss of jobs by the staff of this industry.

Further noting that the telecommunications industry is a critical aspect of the Nigerian economy, the minister said its value chain employs almost half a million of Nigerians.

“If we chose not to allow the increase in tariff, we would be at the risk of losing jobs, as some of these companies could pack up, and when you weigh that, it’s also not the best thing for the economy

“This is a government that is extremely conscious of the state of the economy, and Mr. President consistently takes into consideration each and every citizen before making decisions.

“Some of these decisions are difficult, but we have to balance the interests of individuals and businesses alike,” Tijani said.