The Kogi State Government and MTN Nigeria have resolved the dispute which resulted into days of disruption of telecommunications service in the state.
The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) disclosed the development on Tuesday, stating that the issues that led to the shutdown of telecom masts in the state have been resolved.
The Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said “We have resolved the issues. Services will be fully restored on Wednesday. ”
The shutdown stemmed from a compliance dispute between MTN and the Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency, which 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, told journalists in Lokoja on Friday 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.
“I went with them for a verification exercise to assess their claim, which took about four days, and we found out they were even covering more areas than they claimed,” Isah said.
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.
