By Abraham Stephen, Alfa Grace, Etubi Jemila and Herbert Mary
Normalcy has returned after a week-long mobile network outage crippled thousands of MTN users across Lokoja the state capital and it’s environs recently.
On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, MTN subscribers in Lokoja, woke up to face a frustrating disruption in network services, that left many residents unable to make calls, send messages, or access the internet. The situation rekindled memories of a similar shutdown in January 2019, when the Kogi State government cut off MTN’s services over an alleged debt of N120 million. The previous shutdown, which occurred twice within three months, painted a picture of a sort of rocky relationship between the telecommunications giant and the state government.
While the recent outage dragged on, speculations were mounting among residents that the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) may be responsible. Many suspected that the state government had once again taken action against MTN over unresolved financial disputes, possibly linked to tax or other obligations.
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However, there has been no official confirmation from the state government or MTN, leaving room for various theories and concerns among the affected users.
As at the time of going to the press, MTN was yet to release an official statement to address the disruption, leaving its customers in the dark. The lack of communication from the company has further fueled anxiety and frustration among Lokoja residents, who heavily rely on the network for personal communication, business transactions, and accessing essential online services.
“This has been one of the most difficult weeks for us,” said an entrepreneur who runs an online business. “I’ve lost so many customers because I cannot respond to their messages or complete transactions. It’s really frustrating.”
For Rahmat Talatu Musa, a Lokoja resident, the network issue quickly turned into a personal inconvenience. “I went to the market with 2,000 naira to get some foodstuffs. When I realized I needed a few other things, I decided to make a transfer to a POS attendant. I was in the process when my network suddenly seized. I had to borrow the POS girl’s phone to call my brother to send money to her account before I could complete the transaction,” she recounted.
Ejura Jacob, another MTN subscriber, described the recent network issues as frustrating. “It had been a wonderful experience up until a few weeks ago when the network started fluctuating and eventually went blank,” she said. “I missed important calls from clients, and my online business suffered due to poor internet connectivity.”
However, the extent of the outage appears to be uneven across the state. Sunday Victor, an MTN subscriber living in Anyigba, dismissed the notion that the entire state is affected. “MTN has been working fine in Anyigba,” he said, suggesting that the problem might be limited to specific locations, particularly Lokoja.
While the nightmare lasted, residents and businesses in Lokoja were caught in the middle of the tax dispute, which left many feeling helpless and disconnected. It must be stressed that it was a case of mixed fortunes. While some persons were counting their losses, others especially other mobile network providers made brisk business from the incident.
It was observed during a visit to business and retail outlets of other mobile network providers like Airtel and Glo, crowd of desperate subscribers were seen trying to register new alternative sims.
Meanwhile, normalcy has finally returned after a week-long outage. Both sides it appears have reached an agreement, bringing to an end the uncertainty and anxiety that surrounded the network outage that disrupted daily life in the city.
