A Nigerian man has called out MTN after he said his ₦45,000 “unlimited” data plan finished in just four days. In a video that has since gone viral, he asked, “Where do you want me to get ₦45,000 to recharge again? How can ₦45,000 finish in just four days?”
His frustration is not new. Across Nigeria, more subscribers are asking the same question: if a data plan is “unlimited,” why does it run out so fast? This has become one of the loudest consumer complaints in the country’s telecom sector.
What MTN’s “unlimited” plans actually mean
MTN’s unlimited plans are not truly unlimited. They come with something called a Fair Usage Policy (FUP), a rule that limits how much data you can use at full speed before your internet is slowed down. For example, the Ruby Unlimited plan, which costs ₦45,000, gives 260GB at full speed. Once that is used up, the customer is dropped to just 2GB a day at a slower speed for the rest of the month. These broadband packages have large data allowances, making them suitable for households and businesses that need stable and reliable internet every day. So when a plan “finishes” quickly, it usually means the fast-speed portion is gone, even though a slower version continues.
Other Nigerians who have faced the same problem
This is not the first time an MTN customer has confronted the company over data that disappeared too quickly. In April, a man stormed an MTN office after his ₦30,000, 150GB “Silver” plan reportedly finished in just six days , prompting him to demand an explanation from staff. In a separate case, a lecturer in Ekiti State said MTN could not explain where his ₦150,000 data subscription went, days after he paid for it. Another subscriber complained on X that a weekly plan he paid ₦10,000 for was gone in less than 48 hours , despite what he described as regular usage patterns. The anger got so widespread that activist Omoyele Sowore threatened a nationwide protest, accusing MTN of being “the biggest thief of data in this country”.
Why data seems to finish faster than before
There are several reasons subscribers give and receive for this problem:
Fair Usage Policy limits: as explained above, “unlimited” plans still have a fast-speed cap built into them, and many customers do not fully understand this before they buy.
Background app activity: automatic software updates, video auto-play, and apps running in the background can quietly use up data without the user actively browsing.
Network congestion: MTN’s Chief Technology Officer, Yahaya Ibrahim, has said poor network quality in some areas, sometimes caused by vandalism of equipment, can affect how service is delivered .
Company position: MTN’s Chief Executive, Karl Toriola, has said there is nowhere in the world with truly unlimited mobile data unless a customer is paying far more than Nigerians currently do.
Regulatory audits: the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the government body that regulates phone and internet companies, said an audit did not find major evidence of abnormal data depletion across networks.
How this affects individual Nigerians and the country as a whole
For individual subscribers, the effect is direct: money lost, work interrupted, and constant anxiety about running out of data during something important, like a job interview or a bank transfer. For many Nigerians, data is not a luxury. It is how they work, study, and run small businesses.
At the national level, this issue chips away at public trust in Nigeria’s telecom companies and its regulators. When millions of people feel cheated but cannot get a straight answer, it damages confidence in digital services at a time when the government is pushing Nigerians toward a cashless, internet-driven economy. It has also drawn in regulators: the NCC has fined telecom operators over billions of naira for issues including unexpected data depletion, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the agency that protects consumer rights, has said it may audit telecom operators over the complaints.
What is being done, and what else could help
Telecom operators have started sending subscribers daily reports showing exactly how much data they used the day before, following pressure from the NCC. In June, MTN held a public event called “Data on Trial,” bringing together regulators, technology experts, and customers to discuss how data is measured and used.
Other steps that could help include:
Clearer, simpler explanations of Fair Usage Policy limits before customers buy a plan, not buried in fine print.
Independent audits of billing systems by outside experts, not just the telecom companies themselves.
Public education on how to reduce data use, such as turning off automatic app updates and background data.
Faster, more transparent complaint resolution when a customer disputes their data usage.
Our take
I think the real problem here is not just about data. It is about trust. Nigerians are not just complaining because their data finished, they are complaining because they feel they cannot get a clear, honest answer about why. When a company calls something “unlimited,” customers should not need to become data experts just to understand what they paid for. Until telecom companies explain their plans in plain language before customers subscribe, not after they complain, this same story will keep repeating itself, with a different amount and a different number of days.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
