**Confirms Change in Ownership Structure
By Dipo Olowookere
Vice-President of Regulatory & Corporate Affairs at Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Ibrahim Dikko, has assured subscribers that services of the network will not be disrupted after news went viral today that a consortium of banks led by Access Bank Plc had taken over the firm.
Etisalat Nigeria was taken over by the banks and others after months of talks on the repayment plans of the $1.2 billion loan it took few years ago failed.
Mr Dikko, in a statement signed by him on Tuesday, confirmed ongoing talks concerning change in the shareholding structure of the fourth largest telecommunications firm in the country.
He said, “Etisalat Nigeria can confirm discussions are on-going regarding other issues such as the trading name during this transition phase.
“Operations and services to our subscribers remain normal and will in no way be affected as we continue to deliver quality services to our subscribers.
“We will continue to tap into the rich, creative and innovative resources within our workforce to build a stronger business upon the stable foundation we have laid in our nine years of operations,” Mr Dikko assured.
“Etisalat Nigeria wishes to express its profound gratitude to the government, the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (NCC) for their patriotic zeal and tireless efforts at ensuring collaborative and productive engagement,” he said.
“We are also appreciative of the tremendous support we have received from the media since inception and we count on their continued support as we transition to a stronger business. We will update our stakeholders and the public on further developments shortly,” he added.
News of the takeover of Etisalat had caused anxiety of susbscribers of network, who are less than 20 million.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka