MTN Blames Debt Cancellation on System Glitch

Emma Okonji

MTN Nigeria yesterday blamed the cancellation of the debt of subscribers on its network on a system glitch and stated that the glitch had been resolved and the network normalised.

A glitch in the telecommunication company’s system yesterday caused the disappearance of debt on the accounts of subscribers who borrowed airtime from the company’s platforms.
Many of the customers affected took to X (Twitter) to thank MTN for the development. The subscribers who believed the telecoms operator deliberately cancelled their debts, had jubilated and thanked the company.

But the company has, however, debunked such claims.
According to a statement released by MTN Nigeria and signed by its Senior Manager, External Relations, Mr. Funso Aino, “MTN Nigeria Communications Plc can confirm a system glitch impacting balance inquiries. As a result, some customers may receive error messages showing that their balances have been cleared. This is not the case and all balances will reflect accurate figures once the problem is resolved. Our engineers are currently working to ensure this. Please accept our apologies. We regret the inconvenience.”

Responding to the claims, MTN added, “Y’ello, we are aware that some of our customer’s Xtratime debt was cleared, it was a system glitch, and the airtime was not cleared. The issue is receiving attention from our support team and feedback will be shared once received.”

Aina however said the glitch on the network has been restored, adding that affected subscribers will still have to pay the supposed cleared debts.
He advised MTN customers not to jubilate that their outstanding debts have been cleared because all affected customers will still pay their outstanding debts since the faulty system has been resolved.