Breaking: Pantami puts USSD suspension on hold as stakeholders meet Monday

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has halted the planned withdrawal of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the country.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Technical Assistant on Information Technology, Femi Adeluyi, the minister directed the MNOs to put the planned withdrawal of the service on hold till the end of the stakeholders’ meeting on Monday.

The mobile network operators had in a statement issued by the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) last week, declared their intention to suspend the USSD services over a N42 billion debt owed by the country’s commercial banks with effect from Monday.

READ ALSO: Telcos may shut down bank USSD services from March 15 over N42bn debt

The statement read: “The minister sent a letter with respect to the issues to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on the 3rd of March 2021, regarding the need to direct the banks to do the needful.

“In a bid to ensure an amicable resolution of the impasse, Pantami has called for a meeting of all stakeholders, including the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, the MNOs, and the financial institutions.

“The meeting is scheduled to hold on Monday, 15th of March, 2021. The outcome of the meeting will determine the next steps regarding the status of the USSD banking services.”

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