RENO OMOKRI: NO EMOTIONS, IT’S BUSINESS
This my brother can be very bullish once he secures a target. He usually will rail and attack mostly with emotional gibberish without most times even looking very clearly at the issues. For him, it is all a play to the gallery not minding the consequences if at all. His recent attacks on MTN got me thinking. Apparently, he has jumped on the side of the “indigenous” telecoms firm who is said to be owing MTN a huge pile of funds and have refused or neglected to pay, making the regulatory body approve at some point its disconnection. Reno, obviously on a script, jumped in support with very emotional and pseudo nationalistic arguments that fell by the wayside without any effect. According to what I have read, he is of the opinion that the NCC should be on the side of the indigenous company simply because it is a “Nigerian” company. He is also quoted to have asked if the South African President will take sides with a Nigerian firm over a South African one? Normally, one would ignore all of this because on the face of it, it just looks like the ramblings of a toddler but with his influence and reach, it just makes sense that one responds if for nothing else but to put the facts on the table. MTN has Nigerian shareholders. Over 30% of its shareholders are Nigerians making it even more Nigerian than the one he is defending who to the best of my knowledge has only one Nigerian shareholder. Secondly, MTN has paid out dividends in excess of N2.8 trillion to its shareholders. Nigerian shareholders taking up 30% of that. His principal has not shown any evidence of that to any one single Nigerian shareholder outside of his emotional shareholder base. MTN has made over N4 trillion capital investments in Nigeria and has paid over N4.2 trillion as taxes to various governments since 2001. MTN Foundation has invested over N26 billion supporting 40 million Nigerians so far. So, my brother, before you jump in and begin to misinform people, look at the figures. We cannot be out there fighting for and begging for FDIs and the one that is on ground we keep hounding them like this. Did it cross your mind that one of the very first things Mr. President did upon his inauguration was to rush to India and the New York Stock exchange to woo FDIs or did you think he went to star in an Indian movie? Oga abeg rest.