MTN Osogbo Device Collection Fraud: N-power changes collection centre to Mosab Mega Hall

The job initiative of the Federal Government, N-power, has changed collection of devices to Mosab Megal Hall, Osogbo, Osun State.

The decision to change the collection centre followed the fraud perpetrated by some officials of the telecommunication company at its branch office, Osogbo where volunteers were mandated to pay the sum of N1,000 before they could collect their device.

In a latest text message sent to the affected volunteers, they are will now do so at Mosab Mega Hall.

The message reads:

Dear volunteer, your device is ready for pick up. Be at Mosab Mega Hall, Ring road, Opposite NASFAT centre, Osogbo 9am- 4pm on 09/11/2017. Kindly come with your B.V.N slip, valid ID card, your pickup SMS and a pen. Please be punctual.

Osun Npower Device Collection: Inside MTN Office, Osogbo  where Volunteers are Forced to Pay N1,000 for Tablet Collection

N-power Device Collection which was meant to be free nationwide has turned to an avenue for MTN Osogbo Branch to extort money from volunteers who were texted to pick up their device.

No official has responded to this allegation, but the staff said there was insufficient sim cards at the branch office.

Volunteers went on rampage at MTN Osogbo Centre

 

MTN is one of the partners of government's job initiative program N-power.

A volunteer in Osogbo who's scheduled to pick up his device invited N-power Solutions to witness the bribery charades systematically perpetrated at MTN Office on October 31, 2017.

His invite SMS reads:

"Dear volunteer, your device is ready for pick up. Be at Plot 456 Dada Estate Iwo Road By Fan Milk Oshogbo 9am- 12pm on 31/10/2017. Kindly come with your B.V.N slip, valid ID card, your pickup SMS and a pen. Please be punctual."

On Tuesday at the collection point volunteers came from different parts of the state, particularly those who selected Techno Droid and N-power Brian Tablets had Mtn office as their collection centre.

A volunteer who spoke to NpowerNG Solutions said he came from Owena Ijesha, a boundary town between Osun and Ondo State.

The man who doesn't want to be named said he arrived Osogbo on October 30, hoping to be at the collection point as early as possible unfortunately met Some volunteers there earlier before him  who claimed to have slept the place with the aim of being the  first beneficiary. 

A list given to volunteers to write their names had at least 400 names as early as 7:00am.

The list was supposed to assist Mtn staff to make the collection achieve some orderliness, but bribery later made it rowdy. 

HOW MTN STAFF CARRIED OUT THE FRAUD

There were close to three agents on ground approaching volunteers who could part with between N500-N1,000 to quicken their device collection.

When this is done, the agent would collect the volunteer's BVN slip and go  right inside the Mtn office to get the bvn verified and later give it out secretly to the volunteer to go inside to pick his/her device.

 Most of those who enjoyed this were those who came between 8:30am-12pm and were ready to jump the arrangements on ground through bribery. 

Policemen on ground were also culpable as they free freely go inside the mtn office with bvn slips several times unhindered.

A Peace Corps Officer who openly condemned the act was “sidelined” in other activities.

Even when soft drink was offered other security personnel on ground he was denied to enjoy from the largesse. 

On Tuesday (Last week) the situation nearly degenerated into chaos as those who queued saw late comers and those who could bribe their way in collect device before them.

The entrance gate of the telecommunications firm was partly affected due to forceful push and anger from aggrieved volunteers.

The branch manager who was meant to address the mammoth crowd of Npower volunteers failed to do as he sent his co-workers to inform volunteers that there's no SIM cards on ground to configure the devices, that was around 3pm on Tuesday, and by 6pm some volunteers went inside to collect theit device jumping the queue.

A volunteer from Ife bribed his way in to pick his device.

He said bribery and corruption has become a culture.

He said he had been coming for close to two weeks until be bribed and had his tablet given to him. He's a graduate of Statistics from Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti 2008/2009.

A volunteer who simply identified herself as Bisi said she had been coming to the centre October 24, 2017 from Ijeda-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government of the state, but couldn't collect as at November 6,2017.

Mtn cited  insufficient sim as an excuse. There was enough Sim cards when you're ready to pay N1000. No sim if you're no-bribe campaigner.

On October 6, Some female volunteers shed tears because of the the terrible ordeal they are passing through since the day they had been scheduled to pick up their device. 

WHAT'S THE VALUE OF THE DEVICE? Presently 8 different brands of devices are being given FREE to the first batch of volunteers.

 The cheapest costs between N65,000-N70,000 WHILE the most expensive cost between N70,000-N90,000.

IS THE SITUATION THE SAME IN OTHER PICK UP CENTRES IN OSUN?

No, a volunteer who picked up His Samsung Tab at Ilesa said there were 80volunteers the day he went and were all attended to before 5pm.

 It was orderly as they're attended to as their names appeared on the attendance list. 

At Ile-Ife, a volunteer who picked his AfriOne-2-1 Transformer Tablet said it was orderly saying he collected His less than 3hours he got the to the centre. 

ANY WAY FORWARD?

Npower volunteers, particularly those who scheduled to collect their tablets at MTN OFFICE is calling on the appropriate authority to call the staff to order or hand the distribution to a more trustworthy company who can perform their responsibility without bribery. 

The idea to back the 2-year job program with entrepreneurial skills has been lauded across the continent and by other international organizations