Nigerian Court Dismisses ₦1 Billion Suit Against MTN

Justice Ayokunle Faji delivered the ruling on Tuesday, striking out the case brought by Walls and Gates Ltd and its managing director, Okechukwu Udeichi. The plaintiffs alleged that MTN’s 2021 anniversary campaign was derived from their 20 for 20 proposal. The court not only rejected the claim but also ordered the plaintiffs to pay ₦3 million in legal costs to MTN, according to a report by Punch.

At the core of the decision was the court’s assessment that the plaintiffs failed to establish any proprietary rights over the idea in question. Justice Faji ruled that Nigerian copyright law does not protect abstract ideas, promotional concepts, or business themes, but rather the specific expression of those ideas.

The ruling reinforces a long-standing legal principle that unsolicited proposals do not automatically create confidentiality obligations or contractual relationships. The court noted that the plaintiffs had submitted the same proposal to multiple organisations after approaching MTN in 2019, further weakening any claim of exclusivity or confidentiality.

MTN argued that its anniversary campaign was independently conceived and developed, a position the court accepted. In dismissing the suit, the judge characterised it as an attempt to compel a commercial relationship through litigation, referring to it as a gold-digging exercise.

The decision is likely to resonate beyond this case, especially in industries where idea submissions and large-scale marketing campaigns frequently overlap. It clarifies that similarity alone is not enough to ground a claim without clear legal rights or protected expression.

Babatunde Fatai’s journey into technology did not begin with a grand career plan. It started with curiosity, a university lab, and a cardboard virtual reality headset that quietly changed how he viewed the world of computing.

As a mechanical engineering student at the University of Ilorin, Fatai encountered Google Cardboard VR for the first time. Watching fellow students create basic 3D environments and experience them through smartphones reshaped his understanding of mobile technology. Phones were no longer just communication tools; they became platforms for immersive, interactive experiences. That moment sparked a deep interest in virtual reality that would redirect his career path.

His academic programme offered little support for that interest. Mechanical engineering coursework focused heavily on theory, leaving no room for VR, augmented reality, or game development. Rather than wait for institutional alignment, Fatai taught himself. Online tutorials, student forums, late-night experimentation with tools like Unity and Blender, and frequent system failures became his informal education.

Despite limited resources, he leaned into collaboration. He organised tutorials, shared knowledge with peers, and entered competitions across universities and borders. By consistently building projects and publishing his work online, he began to attract attention beyond campus.

That visibility led to an opportunity at PwC Nigeria just as the firm launched its Experience Centre. Even before graduating, Fatai was contributing to immersive technology projects for multinational clients, blending consulting work with hands-on product development. The pace was so intense that his university convocation passed almost unnoticed.

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His transition to MTN followed naturally. Already consulting for the telecom company through PwC, he joined as MTN accelerated its shift from a traditional telco to a technology-led organisation in the 5G era. Today, his work focuses on developing immersive, 5G-enabled experiences designed to demonstrate the real-world potential of next-generation connectivity.

For Fatai, technology has never been about chasing trends. It has been about curiosity, self-direction, and the belief that tools only matter insofar as what they allow people and organisations to imagine and build.

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