VDM vs MTN: How Dangote IPO Promo Got My Private NIN Number?
VeryDarkMan MTN Dangote IPO texts are at the center of a new privacy fight in Nigeria.Martins Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, says promotional texts for the Dangote Refinery IPO landed on a private number linked to his National Identification Number. According to the report, his main question was:
“How Did Dangote Get My NIN Number?”
He said he did not consent to the use of the number for marketing. He has told MTN his lawyers will write. That is the core of his complaint.
The number in question is not a public contact number. It is the private line tied to his NIN. This is why the case has sparked so much debate. Nigerians were asked to link their NIN to their SIM for security reasons. Many complied because government said it was to protect identity and reduce crime. Now people are asking if that same linked data is being used to push commercial adverts.
VDM displayed the messages in a video. The messages were promoting the Dangote Refinery IPO and asking recipients to invest. He insisted the line should never have been on any marketing list.
Beyond privacy, he also spoke about the IPO itself. He called the IPO pitch a bad deal for ordinary Nigerians. He said Dangote should cut the price of cement, fuel, rice and sugar instead of asking Nigerians to buy shares. His point was simple. If prices of basic products come down, people will feel direct impact.
That second part has split opinions online. Some people agree with him. They argue that with high cost of living, asking average Nigerians to invest in a refinery IPO is not realistic. Others say an IPO is voluntary and anyone who does not want it can ignore the message. But on the privacy issue, most comments agree that a NIN-linked number should not get unsolicited promo texts.
As of the time of writing, MTN has not issued a public reply. There is no official statement explaining how numbers are selected for third party promotions or whether customers gave consent. Dangote Refinery has also not explained how it sourced the phone numbers used for the IPO campaign or if a bulk SMS vendor was involved.
This brings Nigeria’s data protection law into focus. Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, personal data cannot be used for marketing without consent. A phone number linked to a NIN is personal data. If it is shared or used for adverts without permission, that could be a breach. Lawyers following the matter say the case could test how telcos handle NIN-linked data.
For context, many Nigerians say they receive promo messages they never signed up for. Telcos have been accused in the past of allowing third parties access to customer numbers for advertising. The NCC has received complaints about unsolicited messages before. This new case has brought that old complaint back.
MTN users are now checking their inbox. Many confirmed they also got the same Dangote IPO messages in recent days. Some posted screenshots. Others said they have received similar investment ads on numbers they consider private.
If VDM follows through with legal action, it will be an important case. It will help clarify if linking NIN to SIM gives companies the right to use that number for marketing. It will also test how much power consumers have to stop unsolicited messages on private lines. Privacy of NIN-linked numbers is now a live public fight and many people are waiting to see what MTN will say.
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