The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria (ALTON) has warned the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to desist from its planned nationwide protest on February 4. The Telcom operators urged the Congress not to drive in the last nail in the coffin of an already ailing telecom sector.
Speaking via its Chief Executive Officers and the Chairman of the umbrella body, Gbenga Adebayo at a town hall meeting in Victoria Island on Saturday evening, ALTON stated that it had no doubt that the Labour union would not want to be addressed as the undertaker of a dead sector.
Adebayo said: “The coming week will be crucial, but I trust that ongoing discussions at various levels will prevent an outcome we do not expect or desire.
“While I cannot say everything, I am aware that efforts are being made to ensure stability. “That said, I sincerely hope no group will push the telecom sector to collapse.
“I hope Labour does not become the undertaker of the industry. If that happens, the consequences are clear; we will start heading downward. And once we do, recovery may become impossible.
“We initially made our request to the government based on thorough studies and reports.
“In fact, data suggests our sector requires far more than the 100% increase we originally requested. Despite this, we still accepted Federal governments 50%, hoping that in due time, following market demand, more would be approved. Anything lower would be catastrophic like a critically ill patient being denied the oxygen necessary to live beyond the next day.
