By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called for Nigerian ownership of MTN Nigeria, arguing that the telecom giant’s continued South African control should be ended in response to repeated xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
Speaking during a Senate plenary session on Wednesday, the former Edo State governor and current Senator representing Edo North said it was unacceptable for a company operating in Nigeria’s largest market to remain under foreign control while Nigerians face violence and hostility abroad.
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“We cannot continue to allow MTN to dominate our telecommunications space and repatriate billions in profit while South Africans attack and kill Nigerians in their country,” Oshiomhole stated. “It is time for Nigerians to own MTN. The control of this company should be removed from South Africa and transferred to Nigerian hands.”
MTN Nigeria, a subsidiary of South Africa’s MTN Group, is the country’s largest mobile network operator with over 80 million subscribers. The company has been listed on the Nigerian Exchange since 2019, but majority ownership remains with the South African parent company.
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Oshiomhole urged the federal government and regulatory agencies to review the ownership structure and explore policy measures that would increase Nigerian equity participation in strategic sectors, particularly telecommunications. He described the current arrangement as economically exploitative and politically insensitive given the recurring diplomatic tensions over xenophobia.
The senator’s remarks come amid renewed public anger in Nigeria over recent incidents of xenophobic violence in South Africa, which have sparked calls for retaliatory economic measures.
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There has been no immediate response from MTN Nigeria or the South African government.
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S(Beedee)
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