Business
MTN in deep crisis as it sacks hundreds without Benefits
Telecommunications Company, MTN, on Friday fired hundreds of staff in its Nigeria offices without severance pay, several affected staff have explained.
The staff said they were not properly about their dismissal and that the company failed to respect their contractual agreements.
They said MTN had informed them of a plan to outsource staff, but since it was not the first time that would happen, they took the information casually.
“In 2012 they outsourced us to a company called DNSSL. Now what we have heard is that MTN is taking us away from DNSSL to an Indian company, ICON,” said one staff, who has worked with the company for over five years.
He said they were told by MTN about two weeks ago that the contracts would terminate at the end of September. With no further information, the staff thought they would return to MTN.
“But on reaching here today, they placed security all over the place, numbering up to 50 private security operatives,” he said.
He said while a company could hire and fire, employees also should be fairly remunerated.
“For five years since I have been with them, salaries have not been reviewed. We work on public holidays, yet there were no plans for any overtime payments. We operate an invoice system, which allows payments within intervals of a month, starting from the 15th of every month.
“As we speak nobody is talking about our salaries for the last 15 days we have worked. A lot of us have outstanding leave days that should be monetized but no one is talking about that. Even when they pay the salaries; a lot of us are usually sub-paid, meaning that our salaries are deducted without explanations,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.
Another affected worker told PREMIUM TIMES that he had just finished a night shift and stepped out to get some money from an Automated Teller Machines, ATM, when he observed the strange development.
“They searched me like a common criminal. Both when I was going out and when I was returning inside. They did not even allow me inside,” he said. “I kept asking what was happening because I did not understand.”
Another affected staff said he had worked with the MTN group of companies for eight years, but was suddenly locked out of office on Friday, without explanations from his employers.
“They refused even to let us inside the compound. They only asked that a security operative address us. They said they have outsourced us, but a careful study of the process shows that MTN is still the owners of the company. For example, after outsourcing us to DNSSL, in 2012, MTN still maintained full control of the company and we are sure they are the ones outsourcing us again.
“They are moving their call centre away from Lagos which means we have practically been sacked. And there are at least 4000 of us, if not more, because we are spread across Nigeria,” he said.
The staff requested their identities be protected as the matter was still fluid.
One staff, who was sacked much earlier, said he was fortunate to be employed by the new company.
“Yes it is true. There are many of us. Although I am now working with ICON but when I was laid off by MTN, no entitlement followed,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.
When contacted, the spokesperson for MTN, Funso Aina, promised to send a statement on the incident. He did not revert for more than 24 hours, and did not respond to further calls and text messages.
Prof Lawan Bala Buratai Appointed Vice Chancellor of Nigerian Army University Biu After Rigorous Selection
In a significant leadership transition at one of Nigeria’s foremost military-civilian academic institutions, Professor Lawan Bala Buratai has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB).
The appointment was announced following an intensive and merit-based selection process conducted by the Governing Council of NAUB at the Armed Forces Officers Mess and Suites, Asokoro, Abuja. The Council, under the chairmanship of Dr. Awwal Moriki, concluded its deliberations and formally presented the letter of appointment to Prof Buratai in a brief but momentous ceremony.
Dr. Moriki, while congratulating the new helmsman, described the selection as the culmination of a transparent and rigorous process aimed at identifying a visionary academic leader who embodies the university’s core values of excellence, discipline, and innovation.
With this appointment, Prof Buratai succeeds Professor Kyari Mohammed, whose single five-year tenure is widely credited with laying a strong foundation for the university’s academic and structural growth.
The Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB) was established in 2018 as a unique public institution owned by the Nigerian Army and designed to serve both military personnel and civilians. Located in Biu, Borno State, the university was conceived as a strategic response to the security and developmental challenges facing Nigeria and the wider Sahel region.
NAUB is focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, defense studies, and technology-driven research. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in diverse fields ranging from engineering and environmental sciences to social sciences, computing, and military history.
What sets NAUB apart is its civil-military partnership model, which aims to foster mutual understanding and collaboration between Nigeria’s armed forces and the general populace. The university plays a key role in developing indigenous solutions to security challenges while also contributing to national capacity building and economic resilience through education.
With increasing national and international recognition, NAUB continues to attract scholars and partnerships across Africa and beyond, committed to transforming it into a world-class institution in security and development research.
Professor Lawan Buratai, a respected scholar and administrator, is expected to lead the university into its next chapter—deepening academic standards, expanding infrastructure, and strengthening NAUB’s role in national transformation.
His appointment signals a continuity of vision with a renewed focus on excellence, innovation, and service to the nation.
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