MTN Nigeria chief executive Karl Olutokun Toriola says the telecoms operator is dealing with a difficult operating environment in Nigeria that is undermining network reliability and service quality. In a TV interview, Toriola pointed to repeated disruptions linked to damaged fibre infrastructure, arguing that the frequency of such incidents in Nigeria far outstrips levels seen in other markets.
Toriola said fibre cuts occur so often that, in his view, Nigeria experiences more incidents in a single day than Saudi Arabia sees over a full year. He attributed the problem primarily to vandalism as well as poorly controlled road construction, noting that these factors lead to frequent breaks in fibre lines and, in turn, cause interruptions to telecommunications services.
He added that the wider conditions in which telecoms companies operate have a “huge” effect on how consistently services are delivered. Toriola specifically highlighted infrastructure constraints, including the need to address power supply reliability by equipping network sites with backup generation. “We have very frequent fibre cuts,” he said. “We have more fibre cut in Nigeria in a day than Saudi Arabia has in a year in MTN. This is due to uncontrolled road construction and vandalism. We have an infrastructure problem.
“The problem of power supply: we have to provide generators in every base station,” he added. His remarks come as Nigerian telecoms customers continue to complain about poor service quality, a recurring issue that has raised pressure on operators to improve performance.
The comments also arrive amid expectations set by the regulator: the Nigerian Communications Commission had directed telecoms firms to enhance service delivery. Despite those calls—and despite other challenges facing the sector—the underlying difficulties affecting network stability and customer experience have continued.
