MTN Nigeria

By Anas Abbas

Pascal Gabriel Dozie, the esteemed founder of the now-defunct Diamond Bank Plc and former chairman of MTN Nigeria, passed away at the age of 85 in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

In a heartfelt statement released by his son, Uzoma Dozie, the family expressed their sorrow. “With deep sorrow, but with gratitude to God for a life well spent, we announce the passing of our beloved father,” Uzoma stated.

Pascal Dozie was not only a devoted husband and father but also a proud grandfather and a man of steadfast Catholic faith. His life was characterised by a commitment to serving God, his family, and his nation.

Dozie made significant contributions to Nigeria’s banking and telecommunications sectors. In 1990, he established Diamond Bank, which grew to become one of the country’s most esteemed financial institutions before merging with Access Bank. He later passed on the leadership to his son, Uzoma.

In addition to his banking achievements, Dozie played a pivotal role in the establishment of MTN Nigeria, serving as its inaugural chairman and contributing to the telecom revolution that transformed the industry. 

His leadership was distinguished by humility, integrity, and a long-term vision, earning him numerous accolades, including the prestigious national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger.

Pascal Dozie’s legacy is marked by his unwavering dedication to Nigeria’s economic development, which has garnered him immense respect across various sectors. He is survived by his wife, Chinyere, and their five children.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 
 
Service outages were observed by some MTN subscribers throughout Nigeria.
 
It was learned that the subscribers were unable to make a phone call, use the internet, and SMS services offered by the mobile network operator.
 
The telecom provider expressed its regret for the inconveniences in a tweet that read, “Due to an unexpected technical issue, some customers have difficulty using our services at this time.
 
“Work is ongoing to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
 
“We regret all the inconveniences this may cause.”

By Muhammad Aminu

A Kano mobile court has on Wednesday convicted MTN and Globacom, two leading telecom companies, alongside banks for defaulting payment of Trade Registration Fees in the state.

The companies failed to settle their outstanding registration fees for operation in Kano State.

A statement from the Kano State Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Solid Minerals, signed by Sa’adatu Sulaiman, added that other convicted companies include Titan Trust Bank, Aso Savings Bank, Veritas Pension and Maersk Shipping Company.

“For failure to pay Kano State Government (through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Solid Minerals) Trade Registration Fees, contrary to section 8,9 punishable under section 14 of the Kano State Trade Registration Law 2014, the statement read.

According to Sa’adatu Sulaiman, the court, presided over by Ibrahim Gwadabe, ordered the companies to ensure settlement of the outstanding fees within two weeks or face closure.

By Aisar Fagge

One of the leading telecommunication companies, MTN Nigeria Communication PLC, has been sued at Federal High Court for poor quality service delivery, invasion of privacy and nonchalant attitude towards genuine complaint of the plaintiffs’ request and therefore demands over 600 million naira as damages.

Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) and Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami were also part of the suit for breach of statutory duty to protect the interest of the plaintiffs and ensure compliance with the Nigeria Communications Act, 2005.

The case was filed by the plaintiffs’ counsel, Barrister Abdulkarim Kabiru Maude and the defendants were served with about 150 pages of process on May 12, 2022, and were given 30 days to respond or face the wrath of the court.

According to the plaintiffs, Barrister Ishaq Abubakar Baba and Barrister Shamsi Ubale Jibril who is the staff of Kano State Polytechnic, on November 24, 2021, between the hours of 8:00 pm and 12 midnight, and also on December 13, 2021, around 7:40 pm and 8:45 pm, the MTN Nigeria PLC deprived them a business opportunity with their clients all because of their poor network service delivery which has caused them serious economic loss and mental injury.

In addition, the plaintiffs also complained of receiving disgusting unsolicited SMS from third parties which were allowed by the MTN. This constitutes a violation of their privacy of telephone conversation and telegraphic communication guaranteed to them by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

The counsel of the plaintiffs seeks “An order of this honourable court awarding the sum of N 50,000,000 (fifty million naira only) against the 1st defendant (MTN) in favour of the plaintiffs for invasion of their right to privacy . . . .”

“An order of this honourable court awarding the sum of N 500,000,000 (five hundred million naira only) to the plaintiffs as exemplary damages against the 1st defendant (MTN) for aggravating their damage through its act of continued . . . “, part of the process reads.