By Kolawole Ojebisi
Telecommunications services disrupted in Kogi State are expected to resume by Wednesday following a resolution of the dispute between MTN Nigeria and the state government, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria has said.
This is as Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), assured residents of Kogi State that the network of the telecommunication giant, MTN, disrupted days ago, will be fully restored today, April 30, 2025.
The Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said the issues that led to the shutdown of telecom masts in the state, primarily affecting MTN, had been addressed, paving the way for service restoration.
Adebayo said this in an interview with Punch Newspaper on Wednesday.
“We have resolved the issues. Services will be fully restored on Wednesday,” Adebayo said.
The New Diplomat had reported how the Kogi State government ordered the shutdown of the MTN service in the state following a compliance dispute between the telecom company and the State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency.
The agency had accused the telecom giant of violating operational rules and under-declaring the extent of its optic fibre network coverage in the state.
KUIMCA Director General, Taofeeq Isah had maintained that MTN failed to comply with state operational rules.
“After assuming the office last August, I found non-compliance in their files. A four-day verification showed they covered more areas than declared,” Isah said.
He noted that MTN initially claimed to have laid 48 optic fibres across Kogi, but a joint verification exercise revealed a much larger coverage.
“I called them for a discussion where they complained of being overbilled concerning the area of the state covered by their optic Fibre.”
Kogi demanded additional levies, and MTN’s refusal led to a court-ordered facility shutdown, leaving subscribers and businesses frustrated for over a week.
Officials from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service also accused MTN of tax evasion and submitting irrelevant documentation during compliance checks.
