A substantial number of MTN subscribers in Nigeria have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express frustration over the downtime on the telecommunications network amid the ongoing nationwide hardship protests in the country on Thursday.
MTN Nigeria’s network services experienced a downtime, affecting both voice and data services on Thursday, leaving subscribers with speculations that the development might be deliberate to frustrate the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, which is aimed at drawing government’s attention to the prevailing economic hardship faced by citizens.
As at press time, MTN was yet to react to the development.
A social media user registered as Opeolu_waa reported the issues, saying, “Suddenly, MTN’s network is bad on the day of the planned protest; you people know what you’re doing.”
Another user, Sunnyjoflife tweeted, “All of a sudden, MTN Network is not working properly on the 1st of August. These people know what they’re doing. #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria #EndBadGovernanceProtest.”
Other users, identified as Oghenerie, OkekeMakuo1851, and Maxvayshia, shared similar experiences, with some speculating that the network issues might be related to the government’s efforts to manage communication during the protests.
LEADERSHIP reports that MTN announced the closure of all its offices and service centers across the country for 24 hours, starting from July 30, 2024 over vandalism fear by angry subscribers whose phone lines were barred few days ago.
The decision by MTN was due to the vandalism incident triggered by the deactivation of customers’ lines following non-compliance with the Government’s NIN-SIM linkage policy.
Human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, had on Sunday cautioned telecommunications companies against attempting to stifle the planned nationwide demonstration against economic hardship by limiting internet access for Nigerians.
Adegboruwa warned that any attempt to restrict internet connectivity would be perceived as an infringement on citizens’ rights to free speech and assembly.
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