The affected 65 permanent staff from the customer relations unit, include “60 customer care representatives, two managers; two supervisors; and one manger on suspension,” NEXT news reported.

The General Manager of Corporate Communication of MTN Nigeria, Funmilayo Omogbenigun, said: “The disengagements followed a series of internal reviews in the Customer Relations Division, specifically related to performance, values and standards.

“As per my previous response, the Customer Relations Division is repositioning itself for a dramatic and tangible improvement in customer service delivery, and this necessitates an enhancement of the quality of its current resources. As a responsive and responsible corporate organization, we are committed to providing a service that exceeds the expectations of our customers.”

She added: “With respect to MTN Nigeria, and the issue of an economic crunch, the company like every other business in Nigeria, has to a certain extent, experienced the generic fallout from a global recession.”

Citing the global financial crunch as the major reason, MTN South Africa also sacked about 403 permanent and over 2,100 temporary staff (70% of 3,000 temporary staff).