Telecom
MTN pays N1.85m to Subscriber Over Promo Fraud
Following an order issued last week by the Consumer Protection Council directing MTN Nigeria Communications Limited to, within 14 days, pay a complainant, Mr. Omeje Fidelis N1.85m being the balance of his winning in the promotion held in 2012, the telecommunication giant has effected the payment to the aggrieved consumer.
The CPC said in a statement issued yesterday that MTN, in compliance with the order, raised a United Bank of Africa’s draft in the said sum in favour of the complainant on February 11, 2016.
The statement stated that Fidelis, in a telephone conversation, confirmed to the CPC his receipt of the amount, disclosing that he received the cheque for the balance of his N2m prize on Monday, February 15, 2016.
It said, “CPC is also in receipt of a settlement agreement made to that effect between Omeje, MTN and its event manager for the Ultimate Wonder Promo prize presentation, Towncriers Limited, authorising the event manager to issue a bank draft in the sum of N1.85m in full and final satisfaction of the CPC’s Order and all claims to the complainant.”
Reacting to the development, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, CPC’s director general, while welcoming the prompt compliance by MTN, said this underscores the supremacy of the consumer in the market-place.
She urged businesses to exhibit best practices that will engender value for money for consumers.
The CPC had last week Wednesday directed MTN Communications Limited to pay within 14 days the sum of N1.85m to one of the winners of its Ultimate Wonder Promo for lack of due diligence.
Fidelis had claimed that he had been underpaid after he was declared winner of N2m in the said sales promotion, which was held in 2012.
According to him, he participated in the promo and was called through MTN line 180 on October 10, 2012 that he had won N2m in the Ultimate Wonder Promo and that on October 12 of the same year he got a text message informing him of the presentation ceremony fixed for October 19 at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
The complainant had claimed that during the said ceremony, he was presented with a dummy cheque of N2m with his name on it, interviewed and paraded before the media and the world as a winner of the said amount.
He recounted further that he was stunned to receive another call from MTN line 180 on November 2, 2012 that his winning was N150,000 and was thereafter given a Verve ATM card for that amount.
MTN, in its response to the Council’s intervention, denied the claim of Omeje, saying that he was from the on-set informed that his winning was N150,000 and that the complainant deceitfully presented himself when winners in the N2m category were called forward on the day of the prize presentation.
The company had stated further that Omeje’s antics was discovered at the verification of winners, which was done after the ceremony and he was thereafter contacted through its 180 line on his misrepresentation pursuant to which he apologised.
As a result of the development, the CPC in a statement said it demanded for the call data of the communications of the 10th of October 2012 when Omeje was informed of his winnings of N150,000, but MTN failed.
The statement signed by Mr Abiodun Obimuyiwa, CPC spokesman, revealed that the company refused and neglected to comply with the request made both in 2012 and 2016.
It said, “The CPC, in its Orders, frowned at the consistent refusal of MTN to provide the call data records evidencing details of communication with the complainant, declaring that in the absence of this material evidence which is solely in the possession of the respondent the CPC must resolve the issue in favour of the complainant.”
“The process of the MTN Ultimate Wonder Promotion whereby the verification exercise was conducted after winners were identified, declared and winnings presented publicly is grossly flawed, lacking in transparency, inequitable and apparently calculated to deceive consumers.”
“The CPC, on the strength of these observations, therefore directed MTN to pay within 14 days of receipt of Order, the sum of N1,850,000 being the unpaid part of the N2m prize won by the complainant in the 2012 MTN Ultimate Wonder Promotion”.
Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Standard Bank has partnered with Helios Towers to provide a $29 million Social Documentary Credit Facility. According to the financial services company, this transaction marks Standard Bank’s first Documentary Credit Facility structured in a Sustainable Finance format.
It notes that the facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
It will also provide payment certainty to suppliers, while supporting Helios Towers’ working capital requirements and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank adds.
Structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles, the financing is designed to promote digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure development in underserved markets.
This will help Helios Towers further expand its footprint and enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity across the continent.
Helios Towers operates one of Africa’s independent telecommunications tower platforms, enabling mobile network operators to extend coverage across multiple markets.
Standard Bank notes that the facility supports the expansion of tower infrastructure and services, increased network densification and improved connectivity in underserved markets and remote regions across the African continent.
It will also drive digital inclusion and tackle the digital divide while supporting economic growth and socio-economic development.
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market Social Documentary Credit Facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa,” says Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
According to the bank, this facility enables positive social impact by increasing and improving network coverage and connectivity in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development,” says Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Standard Bank and look forward to building on this partnership.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will on Thursday convene a stakeholders’ consultative forum to review the draft business rules for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
NCC
The forum, scheduled to hold at 10 a.m. at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, is expected to bring together telecommunications operators, industry associations and other stakeholders to provide input on the proposed regulatory framework before its finalisation.
The commission announced the event on its official social media platforms, inviting interested stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.
The engagement is part of the NCC’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework for MVNO operations and promote greater competition, innovation and consumer choice in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators are telecommunications service providers that offer mobile services by leasing network capacity from licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), rather than owning spectrum licences or telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC has identified the MVNO licensing framework as one of its initiatives aimed at deepening competition, expanding access to telecommunications services and driving digital inclusion across the country.
The consultative forum is expected to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to review the draft business rules, make recommendations and contribute to the development of a robust operational framework for the emerging MVNO segment.
The commission is expected to issue further details on the outcome of the consultation after the meeting.
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