By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA) and the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) have explained the reasons behind the disruption in the network service of mobile telecom giant MTN in the state.
The Director General of KUIMCA, Dr Taufiq Isa, and the Executive Chairman of KGIRS, Salihu Enehe, in a joint press conference on Friday in Lokoja, attributed the shutdown to the failure of the telecom company to fully comply with the rules stipulated in the official gazette guiding its operations in the state.
It was recalled that MTN has been experiencing service disruption in Kogi for the past two weeks, culminating in a total shutdown over the last week.
Dr Taufiq Isa said, “Upon my assumption of office last August, I reviewed their files and discovered that they had not fully complied with the rules guiding their operations in the state. I called them for a discussion, during which they complained of being overbilled regarding the area of the state covered by their optic fibre.
“I accompanied them on a verification exercise to assess their claim, which took about four days, and we found that they were covering even more areas than they had claimed.
“We asked them to make the necessary payments, but MTN refused. That is why we sealed off their facilities after obtaining a court order to do so,” Isa said.
He urged residents of the state to be patient with the government, assuring them that their interests are being protected.
Isa noted that since MTN is not the only mobile telecom network operating in the state, residents and security agencies should consider switching to other networks, given their importance in securing the lives and property of citizens, which should not be compromised under any circumstance.
Also speaking, the Executive Chairman of KGIRS, Salihu Enehe, stated that MTN had arrogated to itself so much power that it had been refusing to respond to numerous messages requesting compliance with various terms of operations in the state.
The chairman, who was represented by a director in the agency, Hassana Salawu, noted that MTN had been violating various rules, including the optic fibre right of way across the state.
“MTN claimed to have 48 optic fibres, whereas an audit revealed they have 199 fibres laid underground in the state. We have called for reconciliation meetings several times, but they have claimed not to be ready up until now,” he said.