The Senate Arm of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has issued a stern seven-day ultimatum to MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria, demanding urgent reforms over what it described as persistent exploitation, poor service delivery, and anti-consumer practices affecting Nigerian students.
Speaking during a press conference held on April 20, 2026, at the Federal Cooperative College Eleyele in Ibadan, the President of the Senate Arm of NAPS, Comrade Sen. Oyewumi Festus Ayomide, declared that the association would no longer tolerate what he termed “systemic failures” by the telecom giants.
Addressing journalists, stakeholders, and students, Ayomide emphasized that NAPS, representing over 20 million polytechnic and monotechnic students nationwide, was issuing a “firm and final warning,” noting that the time for appeals had passed.
The student body expressed concern over what it described as continued disregard for regulatory directives by operators, despite interventions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
According to NAPS, Nigerian students—who rely heavily on affordable and reliable internet access for academic activities—continue to face numerous challenges, including poor network connectivity, slow internet speeds, frequent service disruptions, and unresolved customer complaints.
The association also accused the telecom operators of imposing arbitrary tariff increases, introducing hidden charges, and enforcing unfavorable data expiration policies that short-change subscribers.
“These are not mere inefficiencies. They are deliberate exploitative practices that prioritize profit over the welfare and academic future of Nigerian students,” Ayomide stated.
NAPS stressed that in today’s digital age, access to affordable and reliable data is essential for education, warning that the current situation poses a serious threat to academic productivity, research, and inclusive learning.
As part of its demands, the association called on MTN and Airtel to, within seven days, commit to measurable improvements in network quality, implement transparent compensation for service failures, eliminate hidden charges, review exploitative data policies, and provide clear justification for their tariff structures.
The student body warned that failure to meet these demands would trigger a coordinated nationwide response, including mass protests across polytechnic campuses, peaceful picketing, and strategic occupation of telecom service centers.
“This action will be disciplined, organized, and sustained until all demands are fully addressed. We are prepared, united, and resolute,” Ayomide declared.
NAPS further urged the NCC and FCCPC to move beyond statements and enforce existing regulations, cautioning that continued inaction would be perceived as enabling corporate exploitation.
Reiterating its stance, the association concluded that it is not opposed to business operations but firmly against practices it considers exploitative, insisting that “data is no longer a luxury, but a fundamental right for every Nigerian student.”
The press conference ended with a call for immediate engagement from the telecom operators, as tensions rise over the possibility of nationwide student-led protests in the coming days.
