Telecommunication services disrupted in Kogi State are expected to be fully restored by Wednesday following the resolution of a compliance dispute between MTN Nigeria and the state government.
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, confirmed the development in an interview with PUNCH Online on Tuesday, stating that all issues leading to the shutdown of telecom infrastructure in the state had been addressed.
“We have resolved the issues. Services will be fully restored on Wednesday,” Adebayo assured.
The service disruption, which primarily affected MTN users, stemmed from a regulatory face-off with the Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA). The agency had accused the telecoms giant of violating operational regulations and under-declaring the extent of its fibre optic network within the state.
Speaking to journalists in Lokoja last Friday, KUIMCA’s Director General, Taofeeq Isah, alleged that MTN failed to comply with state-mandated operational procedures. He explained that a four-day verification exercise conducted by the agency revealed discrepancies in MTN’s earlier submissions.
“After assuming office in August, I discovered compliance issues in MTN’s documentation. The company initially declared 48 fibre optic routes across the state, but a joint inspection showed significantly wider coverage,” Isah stated.
According to him, MTN had raised concerns over being overbilled based on the coverage area but was found to have more infrastructure than previously reported.
The state government consequently demanded additional levies. MTN’s refusal to meet the revised financial obligations led to the shutdown of its facilities, following a court order. The development left thousands of subscribers and businesses without network access for over a week.
In addition, officials from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service accused MTN of tax evasion and submitting incomplete documentation during compliance reviews.
