MTN Nigeria has acknowledged that a temporary glitch affected its daily data usage SMS reports this week, producing incorrect figures for subscribers. The clarification comes amid continuing public outrage over claims of rapid data depletion on the network.

In a newsletter update issued on Friday evening, the leading telecoms operator — Nigeria's largest mobile carrier by subscribers and the local unit of South Africa's MTN Group — explained that the glitch caused the system to display figures incorrectly. According to MTN, data usage was calculated and shown in gigabytes (GB) rather than megabytes (MB). The daily SMS reports are among the main tools subscribers use to track remaining balances and monitor deductions.

"Earlier this week, some subscribers noticed discrepancies in the data usage figures displayed in their SMS usage reports," MTN said in the newsletter. "This was caused by a temporary system glitch that incorrectly displayed some usage figures in gigabytes (GB) instead of megabytes (MB)."

The complaints began after MTN Nigeria customers took to social media platforms — particularly X (formerly Twitter) — to raise concerns about data depletion, citing suspected inflated data usage figures they had received via SMS for Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

The issue drew wider attention on Thursday, August 13, when Bashir Ahmad, Special Assistant on Digital Communications to former President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari, tweeted (post) that his SMS report claimed he had used 58.83 gigabytes (GB) via the cellular network. Beyond the former presidential aide, other subscribers also shared the suspected inflated figures.

The controversy gained momentum against a backdrop of mounting subscriber questions over data deductions, at a time when Nigerians are paying more for data amid harsh economic conditions. That sensitivity has run especially high since early 2025, when operators including MTN implemented a 50 percent increase in data tariffs following approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator, with the companies citing rising costs. Data has also become the biggest contributor to MTN Nigeria's service revenue, ahead of voice in the company's recent results.

MTN, however, stated that the glitch and the discrepancies affecting subscribers have been resolved, with corrected records now reflecting the data actually used during the period.

"The issue has since been resolved. All affected records were corrected immediately to accurately reflect subscribers' actual data usage. We apologise for any concern or confusion this may have caused," the company said.

While the operator has moved to clarify the controversy surrounding the now-confirmed inflated data report figures, it did not address whether the glitch affected only the system that sends data reports via SMS, or also the backend system that calculates and deducts subscribers' data usage.

Central to the controversy is the data consumption breakdown sent to the former presidential aide for the affected day, August 11 — the report that triggered much of the scrutiny and his public callout. Although MTN now says a glitch occurred, the breakdown shared by Bashir Ahmad was based on the inflated figures and was sent to him two days later, on Thursday, August 13, after the glitch the company says took place.

Until MTN provides a detailed explanation addressing these questions, doubts over the operator's systems persist among subscribers — concerns that are renewed each time they receive a data exhaustion message or whenever the company reports revenue and profit figures driven largely by data earnings. It also remains to be seen whether the NCC, which regulates operator billing practices and handles unresolved consumer complaints through its Consumer Affairs Bureau, will weigh in publicly on the episode or on the broader questions it has raised about how usage is reported to customers.