Banks reconnect MTN to banking channels, USSD

By Chinenye Anuforo

Commercial banks on Sunday have reconnected MTN customers to banking channels after 48 hours of disconnecting them from banking channels, including the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data(USSDD).

Daily Sun gathered that the development followed the intervention of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

Recall that, last Friday, the banks disconnected MTN customers from banking channels including USSD and banking apps, leaving millions of MTN subscribers frustrated as they were unable to recharge airtime via USSD amid the Easter celebrations. The blockade occurred when the telco reduced the banks’ commission from 4.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent. 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 millions of customers stranded as they were unable to recharge virtually.

In a swift response, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, said the matter would be resolved. “We have reached an advanced stage of resolving the issues, for the services to be restored to our citizens,” he had said.

In order to relieve its stranded customers, MTN had explored alternative electronic payment platforms as the company on Saturday  announced that customers can recharge airtime through payment solutions platforms such as Flutterwave, Jumia Pay, OPay, Kuda, Carbon and BillsnPay. MTN in a statement on Saturday by its Senior Manager, External Relations, Funso Aina, also said customers could recharge airtime by dialing *904# and *606#.