Residents and business owners in the Abule Egba area of Lagos have expressed frustration following a prolonged internet outage affecting MTN users since the morning of Sunday, 5 October.
According to multiple reports from subscribers in the community, the disruption began around 10 a.m. on Sunday and has persisted, leaving many unable to access mobile data services for communication, banking, and business operations.
Several residents who spoke to Techparley described the situation as “disturbing” and “unbearable,” particularly for those who rely on MTN’s mobile internet for work and daily transactions.
“MTN has been frustrating lately. My students cannot connect with me online for classes. I get paid per class I take. I have lost money because of the poor outing by MTN. It took me a while to realise it was a network challenge,” Zulqarinain Shuaib, Language Instructor and Founder of IBN Network told Techparley.
What You Should Know
Residents across the community have reported complete loss of data connectivity, making it impossible to browse, stream, or carry out online transactions. The situation has affected individuals and small businesses alike, especially those who rely heavily on mobile internet for daily operations.
Some community members lamented that despite repeated attempts to reconnect or switch to different network modes, the internet remains inaccessible.
“An acknowledgement message to affected areas and individuals would have served. I had to re-subscribe for a new data bundle just in fear I had exhausted my current plan,” Ridwan Adelaja, Media Aide to the Minister of Interior, Hon. (Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said.
Speaking with an MTN customer representative, who identified simply as Sam, on Monday around 8:30pm, Techparley confirmed that the issue is specific to the Abule Egba axis and that the company’s technical support team has already been notified.
The representative explained that efforts are underway to restore normal connectivity within 24 to 48 hours, though no specific cause for the outage was disclosed.
What This Means
For many residents and small business owners, particularly those operating in Lagos’ informal economy, the outage has had an immediate financial impact.
With digital payments and online communication tools now integral to daily commerce, even a few hours of downtime can translate to significant losses.
Digital entrepreneurs, POS operators, and delivery services in the area have been among the hardest hit, with some reporting that they have had to suspend operations temporarily or switch to alternative network providers.
“I noticed it was the area when I got to another area outside Abule-Egba. Now, I am forced to switch to another network provider. It ruined my Lagos visit,” Adelaja added.
Understanding the Implications
The incident has reignited concerns about network reliability in Nigeria’s commercial capital, where service disruptions from major telecom providers often go unresolved for extended periods without clear communication.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN remains the country’s largest telecom operator, commanding more than 80 million active subscribers nationwide, with Lagos accounting for a significant portion of its data traffic and revenue.
Analysts say this heavy dependence on its mobile connectivity means that even a few hours of downtime can disrupt thousands of transactions and online interactions.
Telecom experts have repeatedly called on service providers to strengthen their infrastructure, especially in densely populated areas such as Abule Egba, Agege, and Iyana Ipaja, where demand for data services has surged in recent years.
While MTN has promised to restore service within 48 hours, industry leaders say the outage has once again exposed the fragility of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and the heavy dependence of communities on stable mobile connectivity.
Talking Points
The MTN internet outage in Abule Egba highlights a recurring challenge in Nigeria’s telecom ecosystem; the fragility of network infrastructure in densely populated urban areas. Despite MTN’s dominance in the market, service reliability remains inconsistent, particularly in locations outside Lagos’ commercial core.
For residents and small businesses in Abule Egba, this downtime is more than a minor inconvenience; it disrupts livelihoods. From POS operators and logistics providers to online vendors, the interruption underscores how deeply digital connectivity has become tied to everyday commerce and community life.
At Techparley, we see this as a reminder that connectivity is now an essential service, not a luxury. Telecom operators like MTN must prioritise infrastructure resilience, rapid communication during outages, and transparent customer engagement to maintain trust.
The incident also raises broader questions about Nigeria’s readiness for a fully digital economy. Strengthening redundancy systems, investing in localised network maintenance, and building faster response protocols could reduce the frequency and duration of such disruptions.
This episode should serve as a wake-up call for Nigeria’s telecom industry: reliability and responsiveness are now the true measures of leadership in digital connectivity.
