Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has challenged comments made by MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer Karl Toriola on the feasibility of unlimited mobile data plans, escalating a fresh debate over telecom pricing, service quality and consumer rights in Nigeria.
The dispute erupted after Toriola, speaking during MTN Nigeria’s “Data on Trial” media engagement in Lagos on Saturday, argued that truly unlimited mobile data plans are largely unsustainable on mobile networks because of infrastructure and capacity limitations.
According to the MTN chief, no telecom operator can guarantee unrestricted data access for all subscribers at low prices while maintaining acceptable service quality.
“The issue of unlimited data on mobile network, it does not exist anywhere in the world, except you are paying $400 a month or whatever,” Toriola said, adding that most operators offering such plans still rely on fair usage policies and hidden limits.
The remarks quickly drew criticism from Sowore, who accused the telecom executive of misleading Nigerians and ignoring examples from several countries where consumers enjoy unlimited or near-unlimited data packages at comparatively affordable rates.
In a strongly worded post on X on Sunday, the former presidential candidate argued that millions of users across Europe, Asia and other regions subscribe to data plans that offer unrestricted access at prices he claimed are more affordable relative to income levels than what Nigerians currently pay.
“Millions of consumers around the world enjoy truly unlimited or effectively unlimited broadband and mobile data plans at prices that are often cheaper, relative to income, than what Nigerians pay for far less service,” Sowore wrote.
“Nigerians deserve affordable, reliable, and genuinely consumer-friendly telecommunications services, not endless tariff hikes, poor network quality, and excuses.”
He went a step further by hinting at a possible nationwide protest targeting the telecom gian
