MTN Nigeria users across the country were pleasantly surprised this week when they discovered their outstanding debts for borrowed airtime and data had been wiped clean from their accounts. Many subscribers rejoiced at what seemed like an act of generosity and goodwill from the major telecommunications provider.
However, MTN was quick to clarify that the disappeared debts were actually the result of a system glitch and that users would still be responsible for repaying any borrowed airtime or data costs once the issue was resolved.
In a statement, MTN acknowledged the system error impacting balance inquiries and error messages showing cleared balances. But they emphasised that this was not accurate and that true balances reflecting any outstanding debts would be restored after their engineers fixed the problem.
While MTN subscribers enjoyed their temporary financial freedom, the company apologised for the inconvenience and confusion. The system failure led to a brief sense of jubilation among customers before MTN clarified that the debts were still owed. Once the technical problem is fixed, borrowers can expect accurate account balances to reappear.