Worrisome you may say.  Just what has MTEL, a mobile communication company got to do with the 3^rd term agenda of President Olusegun Obasanjo. I will tell you.  But before then, Has anybody sat down to look at how MTEL has degenerated and is rapidly crumbling in the likes of Nigerian Railway Corporation?  You might as well conclude that MTEL is dead!

Okay, you can argue it out, but look at it this way: It started with scattered and disjointed BTS and BSCs all over the federation in the name of covering Nigeria.  Then Pentascope came and aided and abated quickly to the dwindling state of affairs in the company.

At once, Pentascope we re gone, then the wagon of Edwin Momife came on.  Indigenous you may say.  Good thinking that indigenes came on board.  We all were thinking that MTEL would soon find its rhythm.  Little did we know that it would all be a talk show affair.  Town hall meetings to sensitise the staff on the need to dedicate themselves became regular.  Senseless targets were set for staff to attain.

Those were really, diversion from the main course. So what is the main course? 

Financial recklessness and total mismanagement. This management is eager to pay contracts and bogey consultants than ensuring prompt and adequate payment of staff entitlements.  If no money to pay staff, why employ and engage staff and consultants everyday?

I understand that the Staff Union had to intervene before the staff were paid their January, 2006 salary as well as the housing allowances.  Now, no one is sure of February salary and we are already in March.  Are you now seeing why I said MTEL is dead.  This is a company that had a lot of excesses in its reserve,  now it is literarily begging some “very few selected dealers” called mega dealers who enjoy indiscriminate percentage discount of 20% – 25%.  In fact the CMO is allowed to play with  the percentage in order to lure the Mega Dealers  to come and buy MTEL product before it is able to pay its salary and even buy diesel for the generators to run the BTSs.

How did this happen?  Edwin and a few of his Management staff – yes few, because Edwin is the dominant figure in the Management.  (Do you know that Management meeting in MTEL is one way traffic?)  It is always and only Edwin talking to the rest!

I told you that there is total financial recklessness, mismanagement and misappropriation of priority in MTEL.  The truth is that Contractors are Number one, then Consultants, then so-called brand promotions and tours, then international trips in the name of GSM conferences, then diesel, then staff… behold this is the priority list of Edwin and the wagon of Chiefs called Management.

Okay, to the theme of this message, just what has MTEL got to do with 3^rd term agenda of President Obasanjo. We heard Mr. President in one of his sessions, talking about loyalty that “loyalty has no 99.9%”  It has to be 100%! So if you are heading a company under this administration and you are aiding and abating the ouster of the same administration,  “I think your loyalty is also 100%”  Or do not crucify me yet, you still can’t understand where I am heading to.

Now follow:

Edwin Momife, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Ltd, MTEL has never hidden his abhorrence for the present administration of President Obasanjo, so why should he even support the proposed 3^rd term agenda? And to ensure that he assists the Turaki campaign, he decided to blacklist all the contractors that seemed are from Obasanjo camp and prefer those from the Turaki camp.

As I talk to you now, contract was awarded to a principal actor in Turaki camp for the provision of simcards in hundreds of millions.  Another is also in the pipeline for the supply of the same simcards.  Edwin said, this is his way of assisting the Turaki campaign against the 3^rd term bid of President Obasanjo. Yet same Edwin is begging all over the places for renewal of his tenure which expired on February 28, 2006.  The tenure that finally killed MTEL. 

MTEL has been dragged into this politics of 3^rd term agenda by Edwin Momife.

I thought the politics of 3^rd term agenda is not real until I saw it live and direct happening in MTEL.

Somebody should rescue MTEL before the die is finally cast!