MTN Nigeria has pledged to sustain efforts to curb unwanted subscriptions and questionable third-party value-added services to protect customers from unfair practices.
Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN Nigeria, gave the assurance on Thursday in Lagos while addressing participants of Cohort 5 of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP).
Okigbo said the company regularly monitored third-party service providers and withdrew their access to its network whenever their activities raised concerns.
He disclosed that MTN shut down most third-party subscription services around 2017 as part of efforts to strengthen consumer protection and ensure fair treatment of customers.
According to him, the decision followed concerns about how some providers enrolled customers in subscription services, adding that the move exposed the company to pressure from regulators and other stakeholders.
Okigbo said the experience demonstrated that protecting customers was essential to building trust and strengthening business relationships.
“When we did TCF, the people had trust. They started leaving more money in their accounts. They started buying,” he said, referring to the company’s Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) initiative.
He said empirical evidence showed that customers were more willing to spend and continue using services when they trusted the provider.
“But, if they are afraid that their money will disappear without their knowledge, they will not be interested in your services,” he said.
Okigbo cited the shutdown of a major betting company as another example of MTN’s decision to withdraw network access from third-party providers over concerns about their operations.
His remarks followed questions from participants about complaints on social media regarding unsolicited subscription messages and customers being enrolled in services without their consent.
One participant raised concerns about elderly customers who might find it difficult to understand or cancel unwanted subscriptions.
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In response, Okigbo said customers could use the harmonised short codes introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to access customer-care services across telecommunications networks.
He acknowledged that service providers would continue exploring ways to attract customers but stressed that telecommunications operators must remain vigilant in identifying and addressing practices that could harm subscribers.
“People will always look for the shortcuts. They will find them. Our job is to keep looking for how to shortcut it,” he said.
