In the first nine months of 2025, MTN Nigeria invested a staggering ₦757.4 billion in capital expenditure, a figure that eclipses even its own record profits and tells a story far beyond corporate success. This is not just business growth; it is a masterclass in execution within a system often defined by inefficiency and decay.
While public trust in processes in Nigeria has waned, MTN has delivered with precision. The company turned severe forex losses into gains, extended 4G coverage to over 82% of the population, and pioneered 5G deployment. Beyond telecoms, MTN even undertook the rehabilitation of the Enugu-Onitsha Motorway under a tax credit arrangement, a critical economic corridor whose neglect has long hindered productivity. That a private company must rebuild a federal highway starkly highlights state failure, while demonstrating what focused capability can achieve.
MTN’s journey provides two key lessons for the state. First, long-term strategy trumps short-term politics. While government projects falter under shifting priorities, MTN’s decade-long commitment to network expansion and fibre infrastructure remained steady, unaffected by political cycles. Second, disciplined financial management underpins lasting impact. Beyond sustaining itself, MTN contributed over ₦6.9 trillion in taxes, levies, and duties, funding public services in a country often reliant on risky borrowing.
MTN’s societal contributions, connecting millions to data, driving financial inclusion through MoMo, and investing over ₦32.23 billion in youth empowerment and digital skills, should be the baseline for state performance. Yet, in Nigeria, such execution exists primarily in private hands, as companies are compelled to manage their own power, security, and infrastructure.
The lesson is clear: transformative progress is possible here, but only when vision, strategy, and discipline guide action. MTN has provided a costly, practical blueprint for nation-building. The pressing question remains whether the Nigerian state will study it and finally emulate the strategies that succeed against the odds.
