Last Wednesday, MTN, Nigeria's mobile telephony company, did what it takes to soften an entire team of its regulators: it shipped them off to South Africa to watch the ongoing soccer fiesta organized by FIFA, all expenses paid. Saharareporters learnt that in an apparent attempt to ensure that MTN's price-gouging activities remain unchecked, the company chartered a plane for several undiscriminating “excellencies” who could not resist the lure. It also picked up the tab for five-star hotel accommodation in South Africa for the entire group.
Among them: the Minister of Information and Communication, Dora Akunyili; two former ministers with a similar portfolio; the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; the Senate Majority Leader, Teslim Folarin; the Senate Minority Leader, Olorunnimbe Mamora; the Chieh Whip of the House of representatives, Emeka Ihedioha and Chris Anyanwu amongst others.
Aides to Mrs Akunyili however claimed that she only joined the flight to South Africa because she missed her original flight out of Lagos promising to mail us her original flight ticket. They also claimed that she did not stay in the hotel booked by MTN. It is unclear why she did not travel with President Goodluck Jonathan or any other flight, rather than a charter being paid for by a private company.
Saharareporters sources said that after the senators returned to Nigeria, they filed claims for travel allowances to be paid to them for the South Africa junket.
Efforts to reach the Senate president, David Mark, who himself reportedly travelled with a “federal delegation” of another set of 15 senators in a presidential jet, have been unsuccessful.
Senate spokesperson Ayogu Eze told Saharareporters that the Senate was totally unaware of the MTN delegation of Senators. He said that it would be unacceptable to claim allowances for trips that the Senate neither sanctioned nor was informed about.
Asked if he didn't think it was unethical that Senators that ought to be overseeing MTN would accept to be privately transported and housed by the company, Eze dithered and said he didn't think the Senate is involved in monitoring telecom companies, suggesting that an ethical loophole exists that anyone in the legislature can exploit as they please.
Minister Dora Akuyili ticket to South Africa mailed to SaharaReporters by aides:
This document has been removed because some scammers tried to use the ticket information earlier displayed here to forge a flight ticket to South Africa earlier today!
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