Angry customers of MTN Nigeria cutting across various social strata are concluding plans to launch a mega lawsuit against the company over its poor services which they say is a violation of their contract with the firm.

They have already hired an international lawyer to file a class action suit against MTN Nigeria. The lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, a Nigerian lawyer practising both in Nigeria and in the United States of America, told News Express that he would soon head for the courts to take on MTN Nigeria on behalf of his clients.

“So many people have been coming to me saying they want to sue MTN,” said Ugwuonye, a Harvard-trained lawyer recognised to practise before the US Supreme Court. “I will be going to the Federal High Court to file the suit in the next few weeks.”

Ugwuonye, who is also an MTN subscriber, lambasted the network for allegedly ripping off Nigerians, saying the company’s parent body in South Africa conducts its business in a different way.

“Oftentimes there is no network and subscribers have to suffer as a result of network crisis, which is a violation of contract. MTN is making mega profit and offering inferior services. These people are doing what they like. What they are doing here they cannot do in South Africa,” Ugwuonye said.

He accused MTN of treating Nigerians with impunity because of lack of necessary laws to checkmate the company and due to corruption on the part of the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

His words: “In Nigeria, we are supposed to have a law that will regulate what MTN and other operators do but we don’t. The NCC is not helping matters because it is corrupt. Our regulators are inept; they take money from the operators and allow them to do what they like, resulting in what we call capture. Indeed, MTN has captured the people who should be regulating them and this is unfortunate.

Ugwuonye predicted that “this is going to be one of the most explosive lawsuits as we are going to use litigation to cure a legislative lacuna.”

Asked why he is not suing other operators, he said: “I will sue the market leader so that others can learn.”

•Photo shows Ugwuonye, who is set to sue MTN on behalf of his clients.

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