MTNN and the War against Boko Haram

I still can’t understand how President Buhari came about his recent conclusion that MTN Nigeria was fueling the Boko Haram sect. He did not back this statement with any empirical evidence other than alleging that the company failed to disconnect unregistered subscribers. On the contrary, this telecoms firm has been an ally in the war against Boko Haram. The Nigerian military can testify to the co-operation of MTN in this regard. At a point, MTNN had to disable its masts and base stations in many parts of the Northeast in conformity with the directives of the military to curb the terrorists’ activities. MTNN subsequently suffered severe setback on its infrastructure occasioned by reprisal attacks by the sect. The firm lost huge revenue but still viewed it as a worthy sacrifice required to support a much weightier cause- the sanctity of life and security of the Nigerian people.

A country in search of foreign investors should not go about maligning a key investor that has persistently demonstrated a strong commitment to the Nigerian nation. That was what our president did this week. I hope this dispute with MTNN will be laid to rest in a couple of days. Our economy can’t afford this unnecessary bickering. MTNN has been a very good corporate citizen of Nigeria in terms of payment of taxes, job creation and respect for our laws. The facts are all over Nigeria.