“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 its 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 its equity to Nigerians.
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