Telecom giant, MTN, has dumped Nigerian banks for other electronic payment platforms for its customers to recharge their phones after it was disconnected from banking channels in the country.
The alternative channels include payment solutions platforms such as Flutterwave, Jumia Pay, OPay, Kuda, Carbon and BillsnPay.
MTN Senior Manager, External Relations, Funso Aina in a statement on Saturday, also said customers could recharge airtime by dialling *904# and *606#.
Several millions of the teleco’s subscribers were left stranded on Friday as commercial banks disconnected MTN customers from banking channels including the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data and banking apps.
READ: MTN subscribers stranded as banks shut off telecoms firm from banking channels
MTN currently has 77.35 million subscribers, according to latest industry statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The telco had reduced the banks’ commission from an average of 3.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent which predicated the actions of the banks.
The banks had written MTN to revert to the old commission, otherwise, they would block MTN airtime in all their channels.
The banks, except Zenith Bank which was connected directly to MTN, subsequently blocked MTN from their banking channels, leaving many MTN subscribers frustrated as they were unable to recharge airtime via USSD amid the Easter celebrations.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, had said the matter would be resolved. “We have reached an advance stage of resolving the issues, for the services to be restored to our citizens,” he had said.
But in the statement on Saturday, MTN said, “It will interest you to note that for the benefit of our customers who have been greatly inconvenienced by the service suspension, we now have alternative channels of accessing MTN services electronically.
“Below is the list and links to access the various alternative platforms:
“MTN On Demand is on *904#;
“Barter By Flutterwave (app);
“Jumia Pay (app);
“OPay (app);
“MTN Xtratime airtime loans (*606#);
“Carbon (app);
“Kuda (app);
“BillsnPay (app and web);
“myMTN Web; and
“Momo agent *223#
“The Apps can be downloaded from the Playstore and the Appstore.”
NEWS: NEPOTISM: Important positions given to particular ethnic groups under Buhari: U.S. Report
