MTN Nigeria has urged subscribers to optimise their phone settings to manage data consumption. The Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, made the call at a “Data on Trial” event in Abuja on Monday. The event was organised to address public concerns about data consumption and pricing. Toriola said many factors drive MTN’s data pricing, including operational costs.
Data depletion complaints have dominated Nigeria’s telecom sector for years. In the first half of 2026, operators received 413,587 complaints. Of those, 23,391 were specifically about data depletion. MTN recorded 12,212, the highest among the four major operators. The Nigerian Communications Commission publishes the data. Operators say smartphone apps consume more data than users realise. Consumers say the networks meter unfairly. The dispute is now a trust problem, not a technical one.
Toriola said operators face costs that consumers do not see. “We spent about ₦4.05 trillion on power in the preceding year,” he said. He compared Nigeria with the UK. “In this country, as well as some other African countries, we are providing power and transportation to all our sites. The cost of electricity is higher here than in the UK.” He said Nigerian operators deploy the same 4G and 5G equipment used in Europe and the US.
The General Manager of Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Mike Ndukwe, explained how data disappears. A 15-second TikTok video can consume between two megabytes and 20 megabytes depending on resolution. WhatsApp automatic downloads, status updates, group media and chat backups all drain bundles. He advised subscribers to disable automatic media downloads, restrict background data and allow large downloads only on Wi-Fi. He recommended enabling data-saving features on TikTok and other platforms.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason, said the event helped address misconceptions. He acknowledged the sector’s investment but said there was room for better service quality. MTN said its MyMTN app allows real-time monitoring. It also offers MTN FiberX as an unlimited option for heavy users.
Winners: MTN, which gains a platform to explain its costs. Subscribers who adopt the advice, who save data. The NCC, which gains from consumer education. Losers: Subscribers who do not change settings, who keep losing data. Competitors facing the same complaints without the same platform. The regulator, if trust does not improve. Critics who see the explanation as deflection.
Bottom Line: MTN spent ₦4.05 trillion on power. That cost reaches the subscriber. Data depletion is real. So are the settings that cause it. The company explained. The consumer must act. Trust will follow only if the numbers add up.