This is happening now as I'm typing this. It all started yesterday when some men were digging beside the gutter along Enugu road here at Agbani. They'd done the same digging last year for Globacom. So we assumed it was Globacom again.

Real trouble begun however when they suddenly abandoned the digging they were doing on the road side of the gutter and started to dig on the other side of the gutter near our shops. When we confronted the supervisor of the men. He explained that they couldn't continue on the road side of the gutter because that side belongs to Globacom.


Us: So who are you working for now?

Him: MTN

Us: Did you get permission to do this?

Him: Yes, we have papers from the Ministry of Works authorizing us to do this.

Us: Did they also give you permission to destroy our shops?

Him: We're not here to destroy anything. We just want to lay the MTN cable and go.

Us: But you're destroying our tiles and cemented floors in the process.

Him: We also have permission from the Agbani Market executives.

Us: We don't belong to the Agbani Market Union. That is the Agbani market over there. (Pointing there) This is Enugu road. We have no business with them.

Him: Look at the papers. (Showing it to us)

Us: How will MTN compensate us for the damages you'll cause us? That is the main issue. Because Glo damaged the other side last year and left without even covering it properly.

As it stands now, we're not satisfied with their papers and explanation. MTN is a multi-national South African private company doing business in Nigeria. We are local small and medium businesses paying our taxes and trying to grow our nation's economy in our own little ways.

Did the Ministry of Works truly grant MTN permission to bury their cables at our own side of the gutter? Why can't the government make provision for all these communication companies to bury their cables at the road side of the gutter where there'll be no damage to local businesses?

NOTE: In the first and second pictures are the two men in charge of the contract. The third and fourth pictures show the MTN cable.

.

Here's a 45seconds video of us arguing with the MTN contractors yesterday: https://www.datafilehost.com/d/347e0634

While here, is another very short video of me explaining what's going on: https://www.datafilehost.com/d/c5fde489

This picture shows one of the men digging.

The men came back this morning but we were there to make sure they didn't encroach into our space. They dug other people's shop fronts as most the shop owners were absent and their shops closed because today is Sunday.

OP is good you questioned them.

Did the said ministry of works inform you guys on the proposed laying of fibre cable before the labourers started?
If not you guys should resist it especially where it will warrant the digging spoiling your properties.

Again, I hope your shop and those of others around you are not the type that extends beyond where is legally permissible. Converting pedestrian walkways to stands where you display your goods. If that is the case. Then you guys are at fault.

TomorrowToday:
OP is good you questioned them.

Did the said ministry of works inform you guys on the proposed laying of fibre cable before the labourers started?
If not you guys should resist it especially where it will warrant the digging spoiling your properties.

Again, I hope your shop and those of others around you are not the type that extends beyond where is legally permissible. Converting pedestrian walkways to stands where you display your goods. If that is the case. Then you guys are at fault.

No, we weren't informed.

Our shops are not on the pedestrian walkways.

Please watch the videos and see the photos I posted above to get a clearer picture of everything. Thanks.

The MTN contractors came back yesterday to continue work. We hadn't seen them since two months ago when we forced them to stop work. This time around they came prepared with the tiles, cement and sand needed to repair any damages done.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by some young men who called themselves "Agbani youths". The Agbani youths insisted that they must be settled by MTN before the work will be allowed to proceed. We begged the Agbani youths to at least allow them fix the cable and cover up the grounds the MTN contractors had already dug up. They refused, saying that MTN was supposed to settle them even before doing the digging that morning. Furthermore, they lamented that MTN had already settled Obe youths and were trying to outsmart Agbani youths.

In the first picture, the MTN contractors were fixing the mess they left two months ago.

In the second picture, you can see the sand and cement.

The MTN contractors came back yesterday to continue work. It seems they've finally settled the Agbani youths. Lol.

As promised, they repaired the broken floors and tiled them. They returned this morning to finish up the repairs.