Encomium
“When I got the call that I had been gifted a car, I thought it was a scam call’. This was the sentiment shared by the recipients of MTN’s HRV SUV Anniversary gift. MTN Nigeria went all out in celebration of its 20th anniversary in Nigeria. The ICT company on August 8, 2021 rewarded its 68.9 million subscribers with free data and airtime as a way to thank Nigerians for their unrelenting support over the years.
The company had also announced that 20 MTN subscribers would receive brand new HRV SUVs as part of its anniversary gifts. As with every big announcement such as this, many people had their doubts. Even some of the giftees stated that they didn’t disclose that they were to receive car gifts from MTN to their friends because they were waiting to see their car keys handed to them before they could believe it.
On August 22, 2021, MTN Nigeria held an exclusive event to celebrate and appreciate the media. At that event, twenty MTN customers went home with brand new cars. These subscribers were randomly selected from subscribers that joined the network on the company’s anniversary each year since inception in 2001.
The recipients of the HRV SUVs were spread across 10 different Nigerian states. There were recipients from Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Plateau, Rivers, Bayelsa, Borno, Zamfara, Oyo, and Delta states. The subscribers resident in Lagos were all at the event to receive keys to their brand new vehicles. Many of them spoke about their experiences from the moment they received the call that they were to receive car gifts, to the moment they arrived at the event to receive their car keys.
For Patrick Eze Ifechukwu who became an MTN Subscriber in 2011, the experience is one that he plans to share for many years to come. Speaking about this, he said, “I never knew MTN was gifting customers cars, it just happened. I can’t recall the last time I had this kind of surprise and experience and it is really amazing. I was at home that Sunday morning when I got the call from MTN and I was wondering, ‘MTN, what business do I have with them?’ Little did I know that I was just about to become an owner of a brand new car.”
He continued, “when the customer care representative told me that I had just been gifted a car, I had to pause first to digest what I was hearing. I didn’t tell anyone until after one or two hours, when I called my friend to tell him the good news.”
Speaking with gratitude about the gift, he said, “MTN is my favorite line, it has been my number one line, and even now, MTN is the only line I have. The same way MTN has celebrated me by giving me this gift. I hope that everyone in MTN continues to enjoy this kind of celebration. I am really excited about this.”
Mrs Funmilayo Owolabi Betty, who got her SIM card in 2003 shared the same excitement. Unable to stifle her excitement, she said “MTN is the only SIM I have and I am so happy that I get to receive a gift like this. It is a big surprise to me and this is like a dream. I didn’t believe that this could happen to me. I am thankful to God and MTN for this gift.”
For Mr Alfred Emwata Iserhienrhien, his journey with MTN started exactly twenty years ago. He had purchased his MTN SIM card when the ICT company began operations in Nigeria. For him, he was fulfilling a dream of having a mobile phone shortly after GSMs came into Nigeria and he didn’t for once think that that single decision would earn him a car years later.
Elated Alfred Emwata said it had to take four people to convince him that the SUV gift was real. He said, “Until today, I have never been surprised like this before. The news that MTN would be giving cars was everywhere, on the internet and in newspapers but when I got the call, I still didn’t believe it. I thought it was a scam. It took about four people to convince me that there was a car MTN wanted to give to me. Up until this very moment, I didn’t tell anyone about it but now that I have seen the car, I will go home and share the good news with my family and friends.”
For Samson Onoriode Emuraishe, the decision to purchase an MTN SIM card arose from the need to be able to connect with friends and family while living in a rural area. In his words, “I bought my SIM in 2010 because I learned that it was a reliable SIM at the time. I was living in a rural area at the time so I needed a very strong network that I could rely on.”
Upon receiving the call that he had been selected to receive a brand new car, Samson, like the other recipients, thought it was a scam call. He said, “I was in the office when the call came in. At first, I thought it was a SPAM call but when I saw the number 180 and I listened to the questions that were being asked, I decided to go along with it. It was after I answered the questions that I was told I am to receive a car gift from MTN. I exclaimed in excitement and everyone in the office celebrated with me.”
Speaking about the value and importance of the car gift, he said, “ I have been surprised before but this is way beyond any experience I have ever had. This is a brand new car. To buy a brand new car these days takes a lot so it is amazing that I have received this for free. I feel very blessed to be among the recipients.”
Another gifties, Joy Ayodeji Idehen stated that although her journey with MTN started over 10 years ago, the MTN SIM that made her one of the recipients of the SUVs was the SIM card she purchased in 2018.
Amid smiles, Joy Idehen spoke about her reaction upon learning that she had been selected to get a car gift from MTN. She said, “Getting this car gift is the biggest surprise I have ever had. When I got the first notification call, I was like, ‘scammers, they are here again’ but when the second and third calls came in, that was when I realised that it was legit.”
Akintade Olalekan Akinloye, a businessman in Lagos was so doubtful about the gift, that he decided to visit an MTN store to complain. Speaking of this experience in his local dialect, Yoruba, he said, “I use my MTN SIM for business. When I got the call, I thought it was a scam. I had to go to the MTN office in Ikeja to complain and that was when I was told that it was indeed real. When I found out that it was real, I danced for joy.
“MTN is a company that is very good. I am very thankful to MTN and I pray God continues to bless them.” He concluded.
All the recipients present at the handover event in Lagos, all testified that although they had heard about the gift, they still could not believe that they had been gifted brand new cars without entering any promo. They all admitted that the car gift was without doubt the best surprise they had ever received and they remain thankful to MTN for making that possible.
MTN Nigeria began operations in Nigeria in August 2001. Twenty years later, it has become an integral part of the country’s telecommunications success story.
In addition to the car gifts, MTN has a series of activities planned as part of its milestone anniversary celebration including, participating in the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Programme (RITC) for an opportunity to reconstruct some road networks in South-Eastern Nigeria, incorporating some of the latest technology, build a world-class headquarters in Nigeria and sell down, up to 14% of it’s equity to Nigerians.
