The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MTN

  • Emeka Okeke dumps Carat MP

    Emeka Okeke dumps Carat MP

    HARDWORKING Emeka Okeke, the chief executive officer of Carat Media Perspectives, has resigned his appointment with the media agency after pioneering and leading the agency for over a decade. We gathered that Okeke dropped his letter of resignation which will take effect on 31 December 2013 but it was a struggle before the board approved it.

    Sources say that the media strategist is up to something that would shake the industry. It is believed he is moving to set up his own independent media outfit. Okeke joined Insight Communications in 1995 from Advertising Techniques, rising through the ranks to become the agency’s media director. In 1998, he was seconded by the group to Mediacom Ghana as the pioneering General Manager, doubling as the supervising director for Mediacom’s operations in Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire. Emeka returned to Nigeria in 2002 and was appointed Media Director at Insight, occupying the position until the group appointed him again to pioneer Carat Media Perspectives as managing director.

    Emeka led the new agency on a winning streak, clinching several blue chip businesses including Heineken Nigerian Breweries, Friesland WAMCO, Procter & Gamble, Nokia, Vitafoam and MTN.

    Sources said the chairman of the group, Biodun Shobanjo, called a meeting to announce Emeka’s resignation and address the agency community on the future of the agency.

  • Bola Akingbade enjoys life in retirement

    Bola Akingbade enjoys life in retirement

    BOLA Akingbade is sure a gold fish who has no hiding place, especially in the corporate world. He is known to have done many progressive jobs for different corporate entities. His last point of call was the telecommunication giant, MTN, where he held sway as chief marketing officer sitting on an annual budget of two billion naira. After eight years of eventful service, he retired. Earlier, he had worked with the Nigerian Breweries.

    One year after retiring, the seasoned marketing strategist is still glittering. Sources say he is into private consulting. But the hardworking man still finds time to socialise with his ilk. Recently, he was at the launch of media mogul Mo Abudu’s multi-broadcast network

  • Thrills at Lagos Fashion show

    Thrills at Lagos Fashion show

    The third edition of the Lagos Fashion and Design Week got off to a fantastic and show-stopping opening at the Ocean view Restaurant, VI, Lagos.

    The 4-day event which was powered by Nigeria’s leading telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria together with Guaranty Trust Bank, Style House Files and the British Council Nigeria has become the Mecca for all fashionistas in Nigeria to show off their trendy outfits.

    The show offered a combination of fashion and design-focused activities, talent hunt for international modelling contracts and Young Designer of the Year as well as exhibitions of creative works ranging from arts, interior designs, photography, and architecture to
    technology, among others.
    Speaking on why they decided to sponsor the show for the third consecutive year, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi, said the show is aimed at grooming young designers and entrepreneurs by injecting fresh ideas into the local fashion and
    style industry and facilitating their steady movement up the ranks to revolutionize the industry.

    20 shortlisted young designers from the ages of 21 to 30; who were selected from a vigorous screening process across the country competed to create a collection for the MTN Young Designer Awards 2013 where the winner Igwedinma Rodney Ememka, Creative Director of McMekawa, received a cash prize of N4, 000,000.

    Designers Ella & Gabby, Samson Shoboye, Wiezdum Franklyn, Christie Brown, Wana Sambo, Xclamations, Orente Ayaoba, Alter Ego, Kola Kuddus, Kinabuti, Sunny Rose & Valerie David lined up to showcase their collections on the opening night which was attended by industry
    players, renowned designers and models.

    Nkiru Anumudu, Executive Director, Globe Motors Ltd, Eunice Efole, Stephanie Okereke Linus and Fade Ogunro were some of the faces present at the glam opening show.

     

  • Nigeria leads MTN subscriber base with 55.6m

    Nigeria leads MTN subscriber base with 55.6m

    South Africa’s MTN Group yesterday reported a slower-than-expected one per cent increase in subscribers for the third quarter.

    The development was due to strong competition in key markets such as Nigeria and Iran.

    MTN, Africa’s largest mobile operator, said in a statement it had 203.8 million subscribers at the end of September, from 201.5 million three months earlier.

    MTN, which operates in 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East, said the number of subscribers in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, increased by 0.6 per cent to 55.6 million.

    “The third quarter has been characterised by lower-than-anticipated subscriber growth following ongoing price competition and subscriber registration requirements across a number of markets,” CEO Sifiso Dabengwa said in a statement.

    MTN said conditions would remain challenging in its home market of South Africa where it faces tough competition from local rivals Vodacom and unlisted Cell C.

    South Africa’s telecoms regulator said this month it planned to cut by 75 per cent the fees mobile operators could charge rivals to use their network.

    Analysts have said the change would be a blow to MTN’s revenue.

    The company said it continued to discuss the proposed changes with the regulator.

    MTN said the number of South African subscribers increased by just less than one per cent to 25.2 million.

    Iran saw a decrease of 1.7 per cent to 41.3 million, hurt by a weakening economy and an increased push by MTN’s main competitor.

  • Forte Oil partners MTN on customer service

    Forte Oil partners MTN on customer service

    Forte Oil Plc has concluded plans to partner MTN Nigeria to improve customers’ experience through the provision of Walk in Service Everywhere (W.I.S.E) kiosks at selected service stations nationwide.

    In a statement, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Akin Akinfemiwa, said this was in line with the company’s vision of making its retail outlets a one stop shop for healthy customers’ shopping experience, beyond refuelling their vehicles.

    He said at the W.I.S.E kiosks, Forte customers who are MTN subscribers could enjoy complete customer care service such as SIM swaps, bill payments, SIM registration, query resolutions, sale of airtime and other bouquet services right on the forecourt in addition to fuels and lubricants purchases as well as sundry services such as groceries, laundry, car wash and auto repair.

    According to him, in the first phase of the project, MTN will deploy 100 W.I.S.E kiosks to selected service stations nationwide. This, he said is expected to increase significantly to 200 at the second phase of the deployment exercise.

    Akinfemiwa, said, “As the foremost indigenous oil marketing company,  Forte Oil is constantly seeking opportunities to meet customers’ needs through the provision of value added services.

    He said the partnership with MTN is to reinforce that vision through commitment to superior service delivery.

    “With this partnership, our customers who are subscribers to the network will be able to reduce their commuting time and cost in attending to their telecommunication requirements by visiting Forte Oil retail outlets.”

  • Amadi wins MTN WGC national finals in Uyo

    Amadi wins MTN WGC national finals in Uyo

    Samuel Amadi, from Port Harcourt Golf Club, has emerged the winner of the 2013 National Finals of the MTN World Golfers Championship. The finals which was played at the Ibom Le Meridien Golf and Resort, at the weekend, saw Amadi who played off Handicap 4, carded an impressive score of 156 gross and 148 net to finish tops, ahead of five handicapper, Amechi Chigbo, who came second with 160 gross and 150 net and Okey Igweh, another five handicapper, who was third, with 163 gross and 153 net.

    Amadi is not alone, the quartet of Okey Ananaba, Adokie Ikpoki, Udeme Essien and 16-year-old Diana Osmond, who only turned 16 this Sunday, will also be going with him to represent Nigeria, at the Global Finals, slated for Durban, South Africa sometime in November. Playing off Handicap nine, Ananaba won his 6-10 category, after carding 164 gross and 146 net. He was followed by Hassan Adeyemo with 171 gross and 157 net and Peter Grey, with 175 gross and 168 net.

    Adokie Ikpoki won the 11-15 category, by returning with 176 gross and 148. He played off Handicap 14 and beat 11 handicapper, Susan Cole-Cotas, who finished second with 170 gross and 148 net, on countback.

    The CEO of MTN, Michael Ikpoki played off Handicap 15, carded 180 gross and 150 net. Essien scored 177 gross and 143 net, to win the 16-20 category ahead of ladies Rita Izojie who carded 189 gross and 153 net and Angela Uwabo who finished with 157 net. He was playing off Handicap 17.

    The CEO of the title sponsor, MTN, Mike Ikpoki, while speaking to the media said “Since 2007, when we started this programme, MTN WGC is first golf tournament to be played in this golf course and MTN is very proud to bring the National Finals to Ibom. To the qualifiers, it should be about representing Nigeria and it should be about golf, which is a game of dignity, a game where you are your own referee as you score yourself with all honesty.”

    But the revelation of the MTN-sponsored tourney, was teenage golfer, Osmond, who won the 21-25 category, with an impressive total of 188 gross and 140 net over 36 holes ahead of Richard Nnadi who carded 205 gross and 157 net and Thomas Agboifo, who finished with 214 gross and 164 net. Other awards, on the night, went to Joe Kporoma who won the Longest Drive on Hole 15 for men on Day 1, while Emmanuel Okene won the award for Day 2.

    Nearest to the pin on Hole 14 for men on Day 1 went to S. Songwe, the first Secretary at the South-African High Commission in Nigeria, while retired Brigadier-General Sunday Alli Lex won the Day 2 award. Susan Cole –Cotas picked up the awards for the Nearest to the Pin for ladies for Day 1 and 2.

    The championship saw golfers, both young and old and from far and wide, participating.

    Speaking further with the media, just before the tee off on Saturday, Ipoki, expressed his delight at the championship and noted that his company’s continued sponsorship of the tourney was to reward its teeming customers, for their loyalty and to support the game. South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Louis Mnguni, who was also on hand to witness championship, assured Nigerians of his country’s continued support for Nigeria. He also assured that the winners would get great treatment in South Africa when they go there, for the Global Finals in November.

  • MTN, Jumia partner on digital world

    MTN, Jumia partner on digital world

    MTN has partnered Jumia, an online retail store, over free access to the digital world for six months.

    According to a statement, customers of Jumia who purchase any internet enabled phone will gain free access to the digital world for a period of six months.

    General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, Kola Oyeyemi, said the world has become a global village, adding that the firm will continue to harness the potentials of innovative technology.

    “The world has turned to one big digital village. MTN is determined to harness the endless potentials provided by innovative technology and make this available to its Nigerian customers,” he said, adding that MTN is committed to bringing world class technology and services to the market and would continue to be one step ahead of the competition.

    Over the years, MTN has continued to cross boundaries to be the first in the provision of innovative technological solutions to the needs of its subscribers with its endless slew of products that are well-acclaimed by Nigerians to have brought excitement and satisfaction to its consumers.

    The telecoms sector in Nigeria has overtime evolved from concentrating solely on voice and text messages but has also come to incorporate data provision. Innovations and technology has provided other means by which people stay connected.

    Nigeria is the largest mobile market in Africa and the tenth largest in the world. With the gradual death of the fixed-line, there’s little surprise that the mobile device has long-since surpassed the PC as the way that Nigerians access the web and with the advancement of technology.

  • MTN donates 25 patrol vans to Lagos

    MTN donates 25 patrol vans to Lagos

    Telecommunications giant MTN Nigeria yesterday donated 25 Hilux patrol vans to the Lagos State government to fight crime.

    MTN’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Michael Ikpoki presented the vans to Governor Babatunde Fashola at the Lagos House, Alausa.

    Some members of the State Executive Council and the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Security Fund (LSSTF), Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, were also present.

    Ikpoki said the gesture was part of MTN’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to support security and development.

    He said: “We have been part of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, we have consistently contributed to it and our donation today is in continuation of our support for the Security Trust Fund.

    “We recognise that development can only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace and I assure the government, on behalf of MTN, that we will continue to support you in that regard.”

    Ikpoki said MTN would continue to strengthen its “mutually beneficial” relationship with the state and thanked the government for providing a good environment for businesses to thrive.

    Fashola said MTN’s investment in security was “a sensible one” and pledged that the government would continue to keep the state safe.

    He said LSSF was one of the government’s strategies to tighten security through the provision of equipment for security agencies.

     

  • MTN unveils virtual top up service

    MTN unveils virtual top up service

    MTN has unveiled an enhanced version of its Virtual Top Up (VTU) service known as MTN VTU Plus.

    MTN VTU Plus, which is an improvement on its predecessor, VTU, has been enhanced to enable customers buy airtime, purchase MTN data services, logical PINs and renew Blackberry subscription directly from any VTU terminal or vendor nationwide.

    Speaking during a press prelaunch of the enhanced service, MTN’s Sales and Distribution Executive Omatsola Barrow said MTN VTU Plus is a unique innovation that allows MTN’s trade partners and vendors to sell up to 48 different MTN products and services to their customers.

    “Not only is MTN VTU Plus convenient for our customers, our trade partners can also enjoy the benefits of making a single payment for stock while selling 48 different products and services to their retailers and customers. Aside from the ease of payment, VTU Plus also completely eliminates the cost of inventory and storage, theft of stock and increases the speed of product distribution with effective tracking and monitoring,” said Barrow.

    Shedding more light on the benefits of the service, the General Manager, Business Development, Richard Iweanoge, said that MTN VTU Plus also enables MTN customers to remotely top up airtime on their mobile phones from any location.Customers could also enjoy multiple services without the inconvenience of using scratch cards and punching in the USSD code *555*PIN# or *888*PIN#.

  • ‘How SMEs can reduce operating costs’

    MTN Nigeria has said one of the ways small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) can reduce operating costs is through the cloud technology services.

    Speaking at the launch of the services in Lagos, MTN Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer Babatunde Osho, said the technology has become a key differentiator and enabler for businesses.

    He said with the cloud service offer, there was a critical success factor for SMEs due to its flexibility and pay-as-you-go cost structure.

    The services, he said, would enable SMEs to increase productivity and by implication, profitability.

    Osho said MTN was the first telecoms operator to offer cloud services to small businesses in the Nigerian market.

    According to him, the services are designed to cut costs for SMEs. He said: “It is a range of prepaid cloud-based services designed to offer human resource management, customer relationship management and other enterprise software over a secure internet connection. And this without any of the associated IT infrastructure costs.”

    Osho said with the launch of the services, SMEs would be able to enjoy enterprise solutions without the usual attendant cost.

    “No matter what you need, MTN Cloud Services can help take your business to new heights. These services are available on the MTN Business Nigeria online portal, providing a one-stop shop for a range of services such as Human Resource Management, Customer Relationship Management, Sales Force Automation, Accounting and Finance, Virus and Spyware Protection, Firewall Protection, Browser Protection, and Email Protection, among others,” he said.

    He pledged that the telco will continue to add value to the lives and businesses of Nigerians through delivery of tailor-made, productivity-enhancing solutions to various segments of the market across the country.