Telecommunications services in Kogi State, which were disrupted due to a dispute between MTN Nigeria and the state government, are set to be restored by Wednesday, according to the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).
Gbenga Adebayo, ALTON’s Chairman, informed the press on Tuesday that the contentious issues causing the shutdown of MTN’s telecom masts in Kogi had been settled. “We have resolved the issues. Services will be fully restored on Wednesday,” he confirmed.
The conflict originated from allegations by the Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA) that MTN violated operational regulations and underreported the extent of its optic fibre network in the state. KUIMCA’s Director General, Taofeeq Isah, revealed that after a four-day verification, MTN was found to have a larger fibre network than declared. “I called them for a discussion where they complained of being overbilled concerning the area of the state covered by their optic fibre. I went with them for a verification exercise… and we found out they were even covering more areas than they claimed,” Isah said.
The disagreement led to a court-ordered shutdown of MTN’s facilities, frustrating subscribers and businesses for over a week. Additionally, the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service accused MTN of tax evasion and submitting irrelevant documents during compliance checks.
With the resolution reached, telecom services are expected to resume promptly, ending the communication blackout that affected millions in Kogi State.
