MTN Nigeria apologizes for 200% data price hike, admits mistake

The telecommunications giant admitted the change was unexpected and acknowledged customer dissatisfaction.

The company further stated that it understood how frustrating it must have been for subscribers to wake up to such a significant price adjustment.

“You dey vex. We know

“We know how upsetting it must have been to suddenly wake up to a 200% increase on your favourite digital bundle,” they said

While the company hinted at reasons behind the increase, it refrained from detailed explanations, suggesting that customers might not be interested in justification.

“We could share several reasons, and provide explanations, but omo, all that one na story.”

“We don cast. We get it and admit it. Let’s just say na mistake.”

“In this love season, don’t stay angry with us. Please forgive and forget. You matter die and we will never stop showing you how much.

“Let’s continue our relationship. Thank you for your understanding,” the statement read

A Twitter user, @DreadHound0, highlighted the drastic price change, stating:

“In December 2024, I bought MTN’s 3-month plan of 400GB for N50,000. Today, MTN has completely removed the 400GB option and is offering a miserly 480GB option for N120,000 as a replacement. That’s an increase of more than 100%, way above the 50% price hike cap recently approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This government won’t stop until every Nigerian is either dead or severely impoverished.” 

Another user, @TheSilvapr, decried the affordability of data, saying:

“Nigeria is a very difficult place to live in honestly. MTN waking up one day to increase their weekly 15GB data from 2k to 6k without prior warning is textbook insanity. That’s 24k in a month, almost the minimum wage of the country on data, bruh, this is hell.” 

Similarly, Chinenye Goodness, with the handle @nennyberry1, criticized the telecom giant’s pricing strategy:

“Hello #mtn how do you increase your tariff and reduce the value by a huge margin, this is not cool and it’s screaming wickedness.” 

Beyond the price hikes, some customers have raised concerns about the quality of MTN’s network services. 

A user, @A_Abby_Abi, lamented the poor service delivery, stating: 

“MTN wants to increase tariffs but the same MTN cannot impress people with its network. The whole of yesterday was a mess in Jos. People working remotely, taking interviews online, etc., would have suffered if they relied on MTN. Who pays for these damages?” 

Another user, @mainahmh, criticized the company’s lack of accountability regarding network disruptions 

“It’s absurd that MTN will have an unstable network for more than 24 hours in the whole of a town and there’s no official statement, apology or its like. They really don’t rate us. @MTNNG” she said. 

Naijaonpoint reported that MTN Nigeria has adjusted its data subscription prices following the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) approval of a 50% tariff increase.

However, the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) has threatened to challenge the approved tariff hike in court, arguing that the decision was made before a resolution was reached on the final telecom tariff agreement between the federal government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).