Telecom
$1.2bn Debt: 20m 9mobile Subscribers May Be Cut Off
Some 20 million Nigerians who are subscribers of 9mobile (formerly Etisalat) may be cut off in 2022 as a result of the complications arising from the $1.2 billion loan default by the telco to a consortium of banks.
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Also, over 4,000 staff of the company risk being laid off.
Senate investigation said that all these can only be averted if a new buyer emerges, takes over the company and pays off the debt before the 15 years’ operational licence given to the company expires in 2022.
This was revealed on Thursday during the investigative hearing by the Senate Committee on Banking and Other Financial Institutions, which is currently investigating the loan default threatening the existence of the 9mobile.
Speaking during the hearing, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), represented by Yetunde Akinoye, director of Legal Services, said that in 2007 9mobile was given a 15-year licence to operate in Nigeria, which according to her, will expire in 2022.
She said given the financial crisis facing 9mobile, the hope is that a new investor would emerge to take over the company, pay back the consortium of backs the loans which the original owners of the telecom company collected, and also pay for the renewal of the licence to retain the services and subscribers.
She said that if this is not possible, the banks, in alliance with their security trustees, may push to enforce the loan conditions, which she explained might involve stripping the telecoms company to recover their investment.
Recalling what happened, Akinoye said that NCC, which she said was not privy to the loan agreements, got a letter on the June 21, 2017 from the Security Trustee of 9mobile, notifying the regulatory agency that there is a loan default and that the lenders (banks) want to enforce the legal implication.
She said the banks, which had already taken over the telecoms company, wanted the board of 9mobile to be dissolved and a neutral person brought in, preferably the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN).
To this end, she said the CBN Governor, who did not want the apex bank to become involved, however dissolved the old board and constituted a new board chaired by the CBN Deputy Governor, to ensure that the 20 million subscribers and 4,000 staff of 9mobile are not left high and dry.
On why NCC cannot allow the banks to take full ownership of the company, Akinoye said: “The transfer of licence is not allowed by NCC except under certain conditions but they can transfer the shares. The banks are only interested in getting their money but not to run the company.”
She also said that NCC, unlike CBN in the case of banks, does not have powers by the Act establishing it, to take over telecoms companies that are collapsing. Akinoye noted that given the way Mubadala and the associate paid $250 million to get the Etisalat licence, NCC never suspected that anything would go wrong, adding that NCC is already doing a forensic investigation of 9mobile.
On her part, Oluseyi Osusador, director of Corporate Affairs of 9mobile, who represented the telecoms company, told the Senate that $82 million and $100 million loans were collected for expansion of their services nationwide. She disclosed that they also collected $1.2 billion loan from a consortium of 13 banks for network expansion across the country in 2015.
She added that in the 2016, they paid their obligations as required until the negotiations broke down due to their inability to meet up, adding that efforts to secure a new agreement failed until the investors left, hence they are now looking for a new investor throughout Barclays Bank.
Responding to the accusation by senators that it did not follow the due diligence to monitor the loan and prevent the original investor from cashing out rapidly, Dr. Okwu Joseph Nnanna, CBN Director, Financial System Stability, who represented the apex bank at the hearing, said that CBN started intervening in the deal between 9mobile and the 13 banks before the loan started having issues of default.
He explained that contrary to comments, CBN did not take over Etisalat but the consortium of banks did based on their rights and legal conditions of the loan which allow them to take over the company at default.
Speaking on behalf of the affected banks, Guarantee Trust Bank, represented by Haruna Musa, a Director in the bank, said the banks are the facility agent, pointing out that their role is administrative in nature.
Haruna said that until 2015, the facility was performing optimally, adding that in some years, Etisalat paid more than expected, but paid 17% of what was expected in 2017, resulting in the commencement of the default.
In its submission, United Capital Trustees Limited, which served as the Security Trustee agent to the loan deal, represented by Tadeni Balogun, said it has other plans on how to deal with the situation but refused to give details.
While lamenting the default, Chairman of the Senate Committee, Rafiu Ibrahim, regretted that the loan became problematic three years into the commencement of the payment.
He asked the Security Trustee Company to explain how the founding Managing Director of Etisalat left the company, adding that the Senate needed to know if he was forced to leave or left voluntarily.
Senator Ibrahim expressed concern that shortly after the investors wrote to NCC, they left immediately and easily.
He said these information is necessary because the Senate may have to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take over the investigation because the committee cannot understand why the investors hurriedly left and NCC and CBN are not doing anything to get the money back, perhaps by engaging the Nigerian President to engage the President of the host country of Etisalat to pay the debt.
To this end, he vowed that the Senate will not relent to save the banks and the industry, and the subscribers.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
Telecom
MUSON Graduates Shine at 2026 Concert as MTN Foundation Celebrates 20 Years of Music Scholarships
Emeka Nwodike, acting director of the MUSON School of Music, conducted the institution’s graduating class in a grand finale performance, bringing the 2026 graduation concert to a memorable close. The concert took place on July 7 at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
The event celebrated students who successfully completed the MUSON Diploma Programme through the MTN Foundation Scholarship Programme.
The graduating students delivered a rich choral repertoire that reflected the breadth of their musical training, performing Italian Salad by Richard Genee, My Song by Eriks Esenvalds, Obi Dimkpa by Laz Ekwueme, and an ABBA Medley arranged by Goran Bejstam. Under the Acting Director’s baton, the choir demonstrated technical precision, vocal maturity and artistic expression before an audience of family members, music enthusiasts and industry stakeholders.
The concert formed part of the long-running partnership between the MTN Foundation and the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), which has, since 2006, provided scholarships for hundreds of talented young Nigerians to receive formal music education through the MUSON Diploma School. The programme continues to serve as one of the country’s foremost platforms for developing professional musicians and strengthening Nigeria’s creative economy.
Speaking at the close of the concert, Nwodike expressed appreciation to the MTN Foundation for its sustained support of the scholarship programme over the past two decades. He also thanked the Director of the MUSON Centre, faculty members, mentors and other stakeholders whose dedication has contributed to the school’s continued success.
“For nearly 20 years, the MTN Foundation has remained a steadfast partner in our mission to nurture young musical talent. We are deeply grateful for that commitment. I also want to thank the Director of the MUSON Centre, our faculty, mentors and everyone whose dedication has helped the MUSON School of Music continue to grow and thrive. Their support has made this programme what it is today, and our graduates are a testament to that collective effort,” he said.
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