ACCOUNTABILITY IN SERVICES PROVIDED, ATTENDING TO PEOPLE’S NEEDS, WAY TO GO – OSINBAJO TELLS MTN

ABUJA – Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has said that ensuring there is accountability in the provision of services to customers and paying greater attention to the needs of the people, should be the driving purpose of corporate organisations operating in Nigeria.

According to a release e-signed and made available to StarTrend Int’l & online – www.startrendinternational.com by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media & Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Osinbajo stated this in the evening of Thursday, June 17, 2021 when he received members of the board of telecoms giant, MTN, led by the company’s Group President and CEO, Mr Ralph Mupita, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa.

Declaring that it is critical for corporate organisations to show commitment to improving services and to build confidence in the people, the Vice President said, “corporate organizations should be more accountable in their services, in the ownership structure, and also in paying attention to the needs of the people. Companies that ensure this will experience progress, as this is the right direction to go.

“Going forward, most corporates will find that attaching greater importance to the people is the way to go.”

For telecommunication firms like MTN, the Vice President also noted that “financial inclusion is crucial, so is broadband connection in deepening access and will help to connect hard-to-reach places, and to retail social welfare and services.”

While noting there have been hiccups in the relationship, the VP commended MTN for its contribution to the country, adding that the company “is clearly an important part of Nigeria’s story.

“The company’s investment was crucial when Nigeria needed to show that not only is there a large population in the country, but that it is a large market. The market was severely underestimated for a long time. So, MTN is an important part of our story, we regard MTN as an important partner.

Earlier in his remarks, MTN’s Group President and CEO, Mr Ralph Mupita disclosed that “we want to deepen our structure of ownership in Nigeria. We will sell another 14% to Nigerian individuals and institutions. We want to have the largest retail-based shareholding in Nigeria. We want at least 2 million Nigerian shareholders, deepening our roots in Nigeria.”

He added that MTN as a corporate citizen is responsible in all the countries where it is represented, noting that “Our vision is to drive digital solutions for Africa’s progress, and in MTN, we are building PAN-African leadership.”

Other members of the MTN delegation include the Chairman, MTN Nigeria, Mr Ernest Ndukwe; Group Chief Finance Officer, Mr Tsholofelo Molefe; MTN Nigeria CEO, Mr Karl Toriola, and Chief Corporate Services Officer, Mr Tobechukwu Okigbo.