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MTN Nigeria has cautioned protesting Nigerians threatening to attack the organisation and boycott it services warning that over 6, 000 Nigerians will be thrown into the labour market if it is forced out of business
The company issued the warning in Lagos following protest by young Nigerians at its Abuja and Benin offices against the spread of xenophobic attacks in its home country, South Africa.
The Corporate Service Executive of the company, Wale Goodluck, stated that there are only 12 expatriates working for the company in the country, compared to a workforce of 6,000 Nigerians.
“So, if people go ahead with their threats to attack our facilities, what that means is that we may be forced to close down the business in Nigeria and about 6,000 Nigerians that make up 99 per cent of our workforce will be unemployed. Then, when you look at our support chain, we have about 500,000 Nigerians gainfully employed. So, boycotting our services simply means destroying so many other Nigerian businesses and making over 500,000 other Nigerians to lose their jobs,” he said.
“This business supports a lot of businesses across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Many of the businesses that are affiliated to South Africa are in the retail space, supporting the growth of Nigeria and employing so many Nigerians,” he added.
The company also urged the government of South Africa to stop the attacks.